There’s no middle ground for Travis Bolin when he walks into the batter’s box.
“I’m looking to hit the ball as hard as I can,’’ he said. “No matter where I hit it on the field, in the air, on the ground. I just want to hit it really hard because the harder you hit it, the harder it is to field it.’’
Or for it to stay in the park.
The Slammers right fielder had two home runs before Wednesday’s game with Lake Erie, but would have twice as many if not for a pair that hit high off the left-field wall at Joliet Route 66 Stadium.
One of those near misses came in the ninth inning May 27 against Southern Illinois and would have given the Slammers a walkoff win.
“Hit one probably as good as I could possibly hit it,’’ Bolin said. “The wind was blowing in and it hit the top of the wall, came back in.
“Heartbroke me. That’s a win right there.’’
Instead, the Miners won 7-5 in 11 innings.
Bolin hit a two-run homer in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss in the series opener against Lake Erie, part of a recent surge that raised his batting average over .200. That’s still below the .280 he hit last year with Joliet.
“I feel like it’s going to jump up pretty quick,’’ Bolin said of his average. “I’m seeing the ball really good right now. You can just tell when you’re in a good zone. I feel like I’m in that right now.
“I’ve always had my confidence in my hitting. Sometimes, it’s just not there. I’ve hit a lot of hard balls right to the outfielders, right to the infielders.’’
Bolin was drafted in 2016 in the 32nd round by the Texas Rangers out of Davenport University, an NAIA school in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was released by the Rangers last June and signed by Joliet manager Jeff Isom.
“We knew he ran well, we knew he had some power,’’ Isom said. “He’s got a very good arm in the outfield.’’
It’s not all about hitting the ball hard for Bolin. The 23-year-old native of Watervliet, Mich., had thrown out three base runners before Wednesday, including one at home plate.
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“He’s a key guy,’’ Isom said. “If we’re going to have success as a club, we’re going to need him to really get it going. He works every day to get better. It’s trending kind of like what we saw last year.’’
Bolin planned to return to the Slammers this season after his first year of independent ball.
“I knew I was going to come back here,’’ he said. “I talked to (Isom) about it. He wanted me to come back and be the center fielder. Ended up moving me to right because my arm is pretty strong.’’
Bolin believes his future will include a return to affiliated baseball.
“I honestly feel like it’s a matter of time,’’ he said. “It just takes one guy to see you play well one day and it can turn into something good.’’
Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.