Homewood-Flossmoor’s Demir Heidelberg takes the field every day on a mission, fueled by the desire to honor his father’s memory and make him proud.

Heidelberg’s dad, Demetrius, died in July. Demir, a senior infielder/outfielder, confirmed that he plays with his father on his mind constantly.

“I’m dedicating the season to my dad,” Heidelberg said. “I know he’d want me to continue on, go strong and finish out the dream he had for me. I’m really, really motivated to do good this season for the team, my dad and everyone else who believes in me.”

Heidelberg, an Eastern Michigan recruit, is off to a strong start. Typically hitting in the leadoff spot, he’s batting .353 with six stolen bases, four doubles and two home runs for the Vikings (6-4).

“The start of the season has been pretty good,” Heidelberg said. “I feel like I’ve gotten into a good groove so far. I try to set the tone every time and get a hit, especially that first at-bat to start the game.

“It gets everyone going — gets them fired up when I get on at the start.”

Baseball often evokes memories of his dad.

“Before every game, I always think about him,” Heidelberg said. “There’s always stuff that reminds me of him. Every time I step into the box, I’m thinking about him.”

Demetrius was always one of his son’s biggest motivators and the first one to believe in his potential to go far in baseball.

“My dad always played a big role in my baseball career,” Demir said. “He was always the one to take me to the field. He was the first one to get me in the gym. He was always trying to get me to go the extra mile for him.

“I kind of just picked that up from my dad and kept going.”

Heidelberg wants to be the best player he can this spring for his dad, but also for his teammates. He’s determined to lead the Vikings to big things.

And about that whole leading thing. His teammates see that side of Heidelberg coming out this season.

Just ask senior pitcher Zach Bernath.

“Demir’s become more mature on the field, actually taking that leader role,” Bernath said. “He didn’t really like to be a leader back in the day, but this year, he’s doing an amazing job with it.”

Heidelberg agreed his maturation has played a big role in him becoming more comfortable guiding his team.

“It’s a little bit of maturity kicking in as I get older,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily run away from the role before, but now I’m in full effect trying to take over that role and lead the team to success.

“Before I was more of the guy who was always having fun, goofing off a lot, but this year I’m definitely locked in. I have more focus and I want to use my energy to lead these guys.”

Bernath said Heidelberg’s enthusiasm is infectious.

“Demir batting in the one spot, when he gets a hit, everyone’s confidence gets way boosted,” Bernath said. “He’s got a lot of energy, and when he gets us going, we play amazing.”

When he was very young, Heidelberg played basketball for the prestigious Mac Irvin Fire travel team. But he gave that up when he was 9 years old and devoted himself to baseball.

“I wanted to fully commit to baseball,” Heidelberg said. “Once I started travel baseball, it was a lot to do both sports. I just pulled the switch and decided on baseball because I was better at it.”

Now he’s set to play Division I. That’s a goal his dad made him believe he could achieve.

“It’s been something I’ve been aiming for pretty much ever since my dad put the thought in my head that I could really do something with this game of baseball and not just play for fun,” he said.

“It’s always been a dream of mine since then.”