Geneva’s Ian Hanson playing with late brother in mind

GENEVA – Every baseball game Ian Hanson plays, he plays for his late brother.

Whether he gets a hit or struggles at the plate, Hanson remembers his older brother Nick’s vibrant and creative spirit to remind him to have fun – just like Nick approached the game.

Nick Hanson, a 2016 Geneva graduate, tragically passed away in a car accident in October. He had recently completed his fall semester as a sophomore at Waubonsee Community College.

“[Growing up], me and Nick shared a room,” said Hanson, one of four Hanson brothers, a clan that includes Calvin and Jeremy. Meredith Hanson, their sister, is a junior at Marquette.

“We rough-housed around – all four boys playing football in the backyard – and [Nick] taught me how to not get knocked down and stay down,” Ian Hanson said. “He always told me to get up and kinda keep going.

“Especially with baseball, too, when [I’d be] down in a slump [he’d] be like, ‘All right, you can get through [this]. You just have to get a hit.’”

Ian Hanson learned the news right after first hour in school. He was brought into Geneva principal Tom Rogers’ office for the heartbreaking news.

Ian Hanson, a football team captain, was juggling a minor left knee injury. The week after the tragedy, Geneva played St. Charles North and Hanson played a few snaps, but the knee pain proved too great to continue.

“I kinda knew I had to be there for my team,” he said. “I knew my brother would’ve wanted me to push through.”

The next week against West Aurora – Senior Night – Hanson returned to play the entire game at wideout and safety.

Hanson, a two-year varsity baseball player and first-year starter, had no doubt he was going to play this spring. With the baseball scoreboard going up in dedication to his brother’s memory, he had to be there for it.

The scoreboard is now up, and a date for the dedication ceremony is still being finalized.

Ian Hanson slips his brother’s No. 4 over his head. Nick Hanson chose to wear No. 4 for his senior season, but a torn ACL forced him to the sidelines.

“Every game when I put on his jersey, it means so much to me to go out there and play,” Hanson said. “I play for him basically every game.”

Ian Hanson was given a crucifix necklace from his parents – it was the lone item that was able to be recovered off Nick’s body – and he hasn’t taken it off much since. The crucifix came off in the aftermath of the crash, but Ian Hanson still wears the silver chain.

“I wear it every day,” he said. “It means so much to me to wear that. I’ll just grab it and know I’m still kinda connected to him. ... When it comes to pitching, sometimes I take it off, sometimes I don’t, but the one thing I have noticed is I don’t pitch as well when I have it off.”

Geneva is on a nine-game win streak and recently defeated East Aurora 22-2. A week ago, Hanson, who is considering walking on at Grand Valley State for baseball, hit a walk-off single to beat West Chicago 7-6.

“As far as hitting goes, the only thing I changed is the way I approach each pitch,” Hanson said. “Coach [Brad] Wendell always emphasizes ‘wait for your pitch,’ so I worked during the preseason to identify my favorite pitch and wait for it.”