Michael Ferri was having the kind of spring that baseball players dream about as a Notre Dame senior.
The Wisconsin-Milwaukee-bound Ferri posted career highs in batting average (.322), on-base percentage (.422) and slugging percentage (.533) in 31 games before breaking his left arm.
Ferri, a Norridge resident, said the injury occurred when he hit a grounder to shortstop against Marian Catholic on May 16. The first baseman reached into the line to snare the throw and Ferri barreled into his hip.
The Dons missed him. Ferri pitched a scoreless inning in their 2-1 Class 4A regional final loss to Loyola on June 1, but wasn’t able to hit.
“He was really kind of our emotional leader so losing him definitely had an impact on the guys and kind of took the wind out of our sails a little bit there at the end,” coach Nelson Gord said.
Ferri said he’s back to 100 percent, lifting weights and playing baseball.
“I really never had any problems even when I started my comeback,” Ferri said. “Once I felt I was fine to go, I was just gone.”
Ferri was out six weeks. He didn’t need surgery and kept playing catch, broken arm and all.
“I probably tried to come back a little sooner than I should have,” Ferri said. “I wanted to be out there so bad. I’m not the type of guy that keeps sitting around, not doing anything.”
More Top Picks Timers Outdoors
Gord used the words “dirt-eater,” “fiery” and “grinder” to describe the kind of player the Panthers are getting. Indispensable might be equally appropriate.
Milwaukee coach Scott Doffek had similar praise when Ferri signed his National Letter of Intent in 2014.
“Michael is a hard-nosed player that loves to compete,” Doffek said in a press release. “He has [a] low-maintenance swing, which I think will project with some added strength. His body control and first-step quickness make him an asset in the middle infield. This kid is a grinder with plus makeup.”
Ferri is primarily known as a middle infielder, but he also caught in high school and can play all three outfield positions, according to Gord. Then, of course, there was the 1.21 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 24 strikeouts he posted in 17.1 innings in 2015.
“Mike’s biggest attribute is his versatility. He knows how to play the game,” Gord said. “You’re not going to lose anything anywhere you put him on the field.”
In Ferri’s case, one result of knowing how to play the game was he had success stealing bases. Gord said Ferri, like many high school base-stealers, simply gained confidence as he aged. Ferri noted learning how to read pitchers and a sizable increase in his speed.
The result was clear: 14 stolen bases in 15 tries in 2015.
“My stolen base numbers have always been up, but this year was definitely a big improvement from previous years,” said Ferri, who stole five bases as both a junior and a sophomore.
Ferri said his improved performance in the field, where he cut his errors in half from junior year to senior year, also was due to knowledge. He said that while watching players at the higher levels of the game, he observed “there are some balls where you look at it and you wonder how he even got to that ball.”
“Everything comes down to reading the hitter and the types of swings that they’re taking,” Ferri said. “I’ve adjusted myself to where I anticipate [where] the ball is going to go.”
Jonah L. Rosenblum is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.