Seth Winkler was dominant on the mound on Friday.
Then St. Charles East coach Len Asquini offered his assessment.
“This was his worst outing,” Asquini said of his junior right-hander. “He didn’t have the zip on the ball. His ball stays down, but you saw stuff up (Friday), which we haven’t seen at all.”
But Winkler’s so-called worst — he allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six over six shutout innings in an 8-0 DuKane Conference win against visiting Geneva — would be most pitchers’ best.
Winkler is 4-0 with an 0.62 ERA for the Saints (13-1-1, 8-0). In 22 ? innings, he has allowed 12 hits, walked seven and struck out 24. Against Geneva (10-6, 7-3), he allowed the first two batters to reach base and then set down the next 10 in a row.
“It was a good outing, but I wasn’t feeling all the stuff I wanted to,” he said. “I wasn’t placing it where I wanted to in the strike zone. How I feel, it definitely was my worst outing, but it was still a good day.”
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Part of the issue, according to Winkler, was the opponent.
“I think I was trying too much,” he said. “I know a lot of people on their team. I was kind of overdoing it a little bit, getting my velo up with the fastball. I fought back in counts and got things done.”
Winkler didn’t pitch for the Saints last season. But Asquini was impressed with his work over the summer.
“We really liked how he threw in the summer,” Asquini said. “He stays down, mid-thigh to knee. The slider starts there and stays there. He’s really tough. He’s got some velo behind it too. We’ve had him at 87-88 (mph). We’re really excited with how he’s thrown.”
The Saints were already in an enviable position at the top of the rotation with Michigan State recruit Gavin Sitarz and North Dakota State football recruit Nathan Hayes. The seniors are one of the top duos in the area. Adding Winkler has made the Saints that much more dangerous.
“He fits really well with Gavin and Nate,” Asquini said. “He’s a great complement to them. We’re excited about that.”
Winkler is happy to be welcomed into the pitching staff with open arms.
“Gavin and Nate are great pitchers,” he said. “They’ve been here for four years, seniors leading the way. For me to join them, I’ve been grateful being one of the main guys.”
After the first inning Friday, the Vikings’ only threat came in the sixth, when they had two runners on base with one out. Winkler got out of it.
“He threw well,” Geneva coach Brad Wendell said. “They’ve been throwing well all year. We have to be ready to compete every pitch. We had situations in the first, later in the game. We have to be able to put the ball in play, and we didn’t.”
Winkler was in the middle of the action offensively too. He went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. St. Charles East’s AJ Gaca went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Dom LeBlanc was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, and James Brennan and Jake Zitella each had two hits.
“They’re not doing too much,” Asquini said. “They’re taking the ball where it’s pitched. We had a really good approach at the plate, and that paid off.”
The Saints have won 11 straight games, allowing only 17 runs in that span.
“I’m having a ton of fun with the guys,” Winkler said. “Being a part of this, this is one of my best high school experiences so far.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.