Green Hope baseball’s Trevor Losito having no regrets in senior year
Green Hope’s Trevor Losito is having a ball in his senior year.
Before his last year of high school, the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder was simply a baseball player. He’d thought about playing other sports, such as football, but never did.
“Honestly, my mom didn’t want me playing,” Losito said on Saturday afternoon, a day after he helped lead the Falcons baseball team past J.H. Rose 2-1 to advance to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A East Region championship series. “But when my senior year started, I figured I was big enough and I can compete.
“And sure enough, I got out there and I wasn’t half bad at it.”
He ended up as the team’s starting running back, leading the way with 649 yards on 105 carries with seven touchdowns. He also hauled in 27 receptions for another 243 yards and two more scores.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Green Hope baseball coach Michael Miragliuolo said after Friday night’s historic victory that gave the team a program-record 23rd win and put them in the East finals for the first time. “He can fly out there, he’s strong and has an unbelievable work ethic – a real example for other guys.”
He also ran indoor track for the first time and what happened? The Falcons were state champs. He was the second runner on a 4-by-200 relay team that took second to Panther Creek.
“Yeah, by four-hundreths of a second,” he said. “It was another journey, I guess. All part of the adventure. I was out there to have fun, not thinking of anything would come out of it.
“Pretty amazing.”
Losito will help lead No. 4 seeded Green Hope against No. 3 Hoggard in the best-of-3 series for a berth in the state championship. Game 1 is Tuesday in Wilmington, Game 2 in Cary on Thursday and game 3, if necessary, will be on the Vikings’ home field Friday.
“That’s been the goal all along, to get out of the one-and-done rounds and into the best-of-series,” he said. “Now, with our pitching, which has led us all season, anything can happen.”
The outfielder was 1 for 1 with an RBI double and two walks against Rose. On the season, he’s hitting .257 (18 of 70) with 15 runs scored, 18 walks, 15 stolen bases, eight RBIs, four doubles and a triple.
But it’s his arm that may be most remembered.
Against the Rampants, Losito gunned down Hunter Christopher as he attempted to score the tying run from second base with two outs in the sixth inning. His throw was a bull’s-eye to the plate, and the tag was easily applied by catcher Drew Hegeman.
It wasn’t the first time.
Against Garner in the first round, with the score 1-0, Losito gunned down a would-be tying run via a relay. Green Hope won that game 8-1.
“He just comes through,” Miragliuolo said. “He’s got a knack for it. He’s just someone who is clutch.”
After the win over the Rampants, Losito’s energy and enthusiasm broke loose.
Following senior pitcher Chris Joyner’s game-ending strikeout, he sprinted in from center field and joined in a raucous celebration with his teammates. The team danced and traded high-fives before they pulled away from Losito in a circle.
He proceeded to do a backflip and sprint off in celebration.
“He’s crazy,” said freshman shortstop Kohl Abrams, who had the game-winning RBI on Friday. “At the beginning of the year, Trevor was always doing those backflips. He kind of got away from it, but he pulled it out again tonight.”
That emotion is all about enjoying the moment and enjoying his senior year, Losito said.
“I’m having the greatest senior year,” he said. “I try to tell my teammates you shouldn’t have any regrets. You should take a step back and think about it. If you want to play something else, whether it’s football, basketball, run track or whatever, just try.
“You don’t want to be someone who looks back thinking ‘I wish I’d done this. I wish I’d done that.’ You only get one chance. Enjoy it.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Green Hope baseball’s Trevor Losito having no regrets in senior year."