Covington-Douglas’ Eli Bolz
Covington-Douglas freshman Eli Bolz already plays the game with the habits of a seasoned veteran — right down to the chalk line.
The varsity baseball player grew up a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and he patterned much of his game after former Cubs shortstop Javier Báez. “There are a lot of people who inspire me, and someone who I modeled my game after was Javier Baez when he was with the Cubs,” Bolz said. “I have been a Cubs fan for my entire life, and he will always be the shortstop I think of when I think of them. I wore number 9 for a long time because of him.”
Bolz now does a little bit of everything for Covington-Douglas, but he feels most at home in the middle of the infield. “I play all over the field, but my favorite position is shortstop,” he said. “I would say the most difficult thing about playing shortstop is the versatility required to be successful. Whether it’s diving into the gap, running into shallow center, or fielding a backhand, you must be ready for anything.”
That readiness started when he was barely big enough to hold a bat. His favorite unwritten rule in baseball goes back to those early days when his dad coached his T-ball team. “Don’t step on the line,” Bolz said. “It’s one of my favorites because it was instilled into me at such a young age. When I was four years old and my dad was my T-ball coach he made sure that I didn’t step on the line.”
Now a history-loving freshman whose favorite class is English with Mrs. Knott, Bolz brings that mix of discipline and personality into the Wildcats’ dugout. He said the best part of being on any team is watching his teammates’ hard work turn into results “at the plate, on the mound, or in the field.” What he loves most about his Covington-Douglas teammates is simple: “They are always quick to give a pickup after a strikeout or error.”
Away from the field, Bolz spends his free time playing video games, picking up his guitar, heading to the batting cages with his brother and hanging out with friends. Those hours in the cages have helped shape his hitter’s identity and his favorite pitch to attack. “High fastball,” he said.
Baseball has already given Bolz a perspective he plans to carry long after high school. “Failure is part of life, if every baseball player quit when they struck out there would be none left,” he said. “Failure is inevitable and important, it shows you what you need to improve, and it makes the success feel much sweeter.”
