Naperville Central’s Clay Schrader upends the stereotype of the No. 8 batter in the order.
He actually hits. And he hits with power.
For the junior center fielder, the key to that process this season has been seeing the ball well and then making good, split-second decisions at the plate.
“I think I have good vision,” he said. “When I see a pitch, especially a strike, I have the great ability to put a barrel on it. I almost always make contact with the ball.
“That’s a big advantage I have.”
Schrader took advantage Tuesday, hitting a 375-foot home run that sparked a five-run second inning for the Redhawks in an 8-1 DuPage Valley Conference victory.
Schrader finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs as Naperville Central (18-4, 9-4) uncorked seven doubles to ease past Metea Valley (8-12, 4-9) for its ninth straight win.
It also was Schrader’s second home run of the season.
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“When we get on a roll, it’s unbelievable how hot the bats get,” Schrader said. “Our lineup is so deep, the other pitchers never know what they’re going to get.
“The pitchers think they have the advantage in the back of the lineup and we just go and blast the ball. Even the guys in the middle of the order, they also can mash the ball.”
Since losing a pair of conference series to Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley early in the spring, the Redhawks have been virtually untouchable.
“It’s about the energy,” Schrader said. “We can’t be brought down. When we’re cheering everybody on and we’re loud, it’s incredible how everything comes together.”
Schrader is in his second season on the varsity for Naperville Central, which scored all of its runs Tuesday in the first two innings.
He’s part of an electric junior class that features Vanderbilt commit Colin Barczi at catcher and Illinois-Chicago recruit Pambos Nicoloudes at shortstop.
“We have so much chemistry,” Schrader said. “We’re like a family. It’s all about heart with us. We had this heartbreaking experience of losing our freshman season.
“We were ready to play. We learned not to take anything for granted.”
Junior pitcher Chris McCormack (4-0) also continued to impress with his superb control and command. He stuck out two and permitted just three hits and two walks in five innings.
“The heat was definitely a factor,” said McCormack, who also has three saves this season. “In my last start, it was 50 degrees and (Tuesday) it was 90.”
McCormack, however, delivered a blistering effort. Eleven of his 15 outs were ground balls.
“My fastball was working,” he said. “My curve had a nice drop and the change-up was there for me to get the strikeout.”
Naperville Central has experienced a roller-coaster season, losing four of its first five conference games.
“Waubonsie Valley handed it to us,” McCormack said. “We realized it all starts with us.”
The Redhawks are now first in the DVC heading into next week’s conference tournament. Naperville Central is the defending tournament champion.
“The end of the season is always bittersweet because we say goodbye to our seniors,” Schrader said. “But we’re also super excited about what we are capable of doing in the postseason.”
The saving grace for the Metea were the performances of senior Sean Brennan and junior Connor Akstulewicz.
Brennan and Akstulewicz combined for five scoreless innings of relief. Brennan struck out the side, the top of the order, in the sixth inning.
“We didn’t have a lot of bright moments,” Metea coach Steve Colombe said. “But throwing five straight innings of zero runs was a positive.
“Connor just came back from a sprained ankle. Sean is one of our better strike-throwing relievers.”
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Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.