As a freshman last spring, Simon Skroch was thrown into the fire for Yorkville. He pitched meaningful innings for a team that had high expectations.
That experience led to the sophomore left-hander becoming a key part of the rotation this season for the Foxes.
“I feel really good,” Skroch said. “I just feel way more confident this year. I already know what it’s like up here. The nerves don’t get to me.”
Skroch has settled into the rotation nicely, and according to coach Tom Cerven, delivered his finest performance of the season Tuesday at West Aurora.
Skroch took control after West Aurora scratched out a run in the first inning. He tossed all six innings for the Foxes in an 11-1 Southwest Prairie Conference victory.
In all, Skroch struck out 10 without a walk and scattered four hits for Yorkville (18-2, 3-1).
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“He had everything working,” Cerven said of Skroch. “That was by far the best I’ve seen him all year.
“What signifies he’s going to be on is when he doesn’t get his fastball too elevated. He’s got control of that curveball as well. It was pretty evident early he had control of both.”
Ever since Skroch realized his arsenal — which features a mid-80s fastball, a curveball and an occasional change-up — played at the varsity level, he set out to get even better in the offseason.
The once-slight freshman gained 10-15 pounds.
“I was pretty small last year, pretty weak,” Skroch said. “I’m still a little skinny, but I put a lot of effort into the weight room. I’m definitely seeing results.”
Skroch’s only real jam Tuesday came in the first.
Brock Beatus led off with a single. Kelly Roney then squared to bunt, but the pitch glanced off the front of Roney’s helmet and hit him in the face. Roney had to leave the game.
West Aurora (7-10, 0-5), though, had two on and nobody out. Ryan Niedzwiedz drove in Beatus with the only run for the Blackhawks before Skroch wiggled out of the jam.
“That was unfortunate in the first inning,” Cerven said. “You never want to see a guy get hurt. Especially where the kid got hit, it could be real easy for a pitcher to unravel.
“Simon did a really nice job of composing himself and getting himself out of that inning.”
Yorkville got things going in the third off Colin Tarr in scoring three runs.
The Foxes then broke the game open in the fourth with four more runs. The big shot was a three-run homer from Owen Ross on a towering blast down the left field line.
“We did a good job bouncing back, started looking for our pitch,” Cerven said. “Especially toward the end when (Tarr) started getting a little bit tired and he didn’t get his curveball over, we did a real good job of being disciplined.”
West Aurora coach John Reeves, who pointed out that Skroch’s father, Mike, is Romeoville’s coach, was impressed with what he saw.
“He threw against us here last year,” Reeves said of Skroch. “He changes speeds. Throw 80-plus and change speeds, you’ll keep high school hitters off-balance. If you can keep them guessing, you’ll have success.”
Yorkville came into the season with high hopes. The Foxes have delivered with 18 wins before May.
“We knew we were going to be really good,” Skroch said. “It’s pretty cool to see it actually happen. We’ve just kind of been rolling.”
A big reason for that success is Skroch and the rest of the pitching staff.
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“There’s no secret,” Cerven said. “I’ve said from day one — pitching is our strength. We’ll go as far as our pitching takes us. There’s no doubt about it.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.