Who is that masked man? St. Charles coach Wayne DeMaar didn't have to ask. The first time he saw catcher Darrell MacMillan he knew he had a winner. Roswell, Ga., MacMillan became a natural at the position few ever want to play. A separated shoulder on his throwing arm couldn't keep him from catching. Maybe he couldn't throw as well after the injury, but he had a knack for blocking pitches in the dirt, as if the winning run were always on third. When he was 14, MacMillan's summer team won the Georgia state tournament. A broken thumb couldn't keep him out of the championship game. He played right field By Rich Strom IT DIDN'T take St. Charles High School baseball coach Wayne DeMaar long to let his feelings be known about catcher Darrell MacMillan. On the first day of practice in 1981, DeMaar marked off the distance from home plate to second base in the gymnasium and put his catchers through •drills. MacMillan, just a sophomore, threw one ball to second and DeMaar was convinced. "He poked me in the ribs and said 'He's my catcher,' " said St. Charles assistant coach John Peach, remembering the March day of two years ago. "We had a couple good senior catchers that year, one who caught a little the year before," said DeMaar. "They looked at each other and knew they would be, fighting for the DH spot." THE CATCHING duties would be MacMillan's for the next three years, just as they had been his entire life. As a youngster growing up in instead of sitting on the bench. MACMILLAN attributes a lot of his success to the coach of that team, Tom Haire. "He was completely into fundamentals," " said MacMillan, who was coached by Haire for five years. "You need to learn fundamentals at a young age and I did." In the years since, MacMillan has refined those skills to become one of the top catchers in the state. He's a smarter catcher, too. As a sophomore, he tried to pick off a runner at third with two outs and the runner scored. He hasn't made that mistake again. "You learn fast when you get humiliated," said MacMillan. With some help from Peach, he's also calling a better game for his pitchers. MacMillan is consistantly outsmarting opposing batters. "If there is a better receiver Trib photo by Carl Wagner St. Charles catcher Darrell MacMillan: "If there is a better receiver around, I'd like to see him," says Saints' coach Wayne DeMaar. University of Illinois] two years ago, MacMillan was 4-for-6. This year, against the two best pitchers the Upstate Eight Conference, Lake Park's Keith Connolly and Larkin's Roger Smithberg, he went 10-for-13. MacMillan is also a good runner for a catcher. In a recent game, he advanced from first to third on a passed ball. During the football season, he broke a school record by rushing for 272 yards a single game. "The key thing is he has fun," said Peach. Whether it's talking to the home plate umpire, firing up his teammates or ripping a game-winning hit, MacMillan's heart and mind are always in the game. "I'd like to play the game until the day I die," said MacMillan, who is leaning toward attending Illinois State University in the fall. "I love being a part of every play. You get tired catching, but you never get bored. It is the spot on the field." around, I'd like to see him," said Aurora's Tony Leonardi [now at the DeMaar. "There hasn't been a player at any position so dominating the last three years," said Peach. THE STOCKY 5-foot-10 inch, 180- pound senior practically gives a clinic behind the plate. He handles St. Charles' pitchers with the authority of a general, his quickness enables him to block almost every pitch in the dirt and he throws out potential base stealers with ease. "We started to keep stats on who was stealing on him, but no one in is running on him,' said DeMaar. "Most teams don't even think about it." Some teams don't think about pitching to him, either. West Aurora coach Arnie Verbic intentionally walked McMillan twice with men on base and Oswego coach Dave Elko intentionally walked him twice last Saturday. Through 25 games, he's hitting .464, with nine doubles, three home. runs and 24 runs batted in. The better the pitcher, the better MacMillan seems to hit. Against West