Timmeney speaks, Highland Park listens

One of the bright spots in the Highland Park softball team’s 14-3 loss to Evanston April 4 was the play of senior Dylan Timmeney, who was 6-for-8 in the Giants’ first two games of 2013.

The fact that Timmeney is trying to lead by example is of little surprise to her young teammates.

Timmeney is the lone senior on the 11-member Highland Park team, which includes six underclassmen. Such a makeup means there will be some growing pains, an inevitability proved by the team’s poor showing against the Wildkits.

But after that tough loss, Timmeney — who went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored — put things into perspective.

“Softball is such a mental game,” she said. “You have the tendency to think about what went wrong when what you need to do is focus on what comes next.”

Timmeney’s leadership on and off the field is lauded by her coach, Lydia Gonzalez, and teammates like junior Abby Jones.

Timmeney was one of the organizers of a team sleepover and several bonding exercises when a weekend softball trip was canceled due to bad weather earlier this season. She’s also helped mentor some of the junior varsity players, making their eventual transition to varsity easier.

“When she speaks, people just listen,” Jones said. “I don’t know how to really explain it. Partly it’s because she’s a senior and has experience, but she’s just really relatable and makes things easy to understand.”

Jones has been friends with Timmeney for years, but the two actually played in opposing softball leagues when they were younger. Now teammates, Jones — who said she can appreciate Timmeney’s competitiveness — has seen the influence Timmeney has on Highland Park’s younger players.

“She’s important because if you don’t have someone who can be a good leader, the team wouldn’t have a direction,” Jones said.

Timmeney’s drive isn’t limited to the softball field. She’s a three-sport athlete who competes in field hockey and gymnastics as well.

“When I’m not playing a sport, I tend to procrastinate,” she said. “You can’t do that when you’re in season, so I usually do my best in school when I’m playing sports at the same time.”

Whether Highland Park is able to piece together the rest of the season remains to be seen. But Timmeney’s impact is already evident, according to her coach.

“She’s really putting the pieces together,” Gonzalez said. “She really takes suggestions to heart, and her confidence is impressive right now. Even better is her leadership.”