Any day with baseball is a good day for Hobart junior outfielder Jevan Andrews.
The sun even peeked out of the clouds on an otherwise gloomy day as Andrews spoke.
“Just look at it,” he said. “It’s just a fun game, and I love playing this game. Even when I’m having bad days, I can still look forward to baseball.”
Andrews’ expressed passion for baseball is more than words. He’s a devoted student of the game and is hungry for improvement, resulting in a combination of physical and mental tools that make him one of Hobart’s key players during his third varsity season.
He’s off to a red-hot start. He’s batting .636 (7-for-11) through the first four games for Hobart (3-1). This comes after posting identical batting averages of .359 in his first two years.
Andrews, who didn’t play organized baseball until he was 12, immerses himself in the details — such as the fundamentals of his swing — to keep up with his opponents.
“At first, I didn’t really care. I was just swinging the bat,” he said. “But I started learning that there were mechanics to it when other kids started getting better. And you had to make sure that your mechanics can beat that kid’s mechanics so that you can be better than them.”
It has been a multiyear process involving countless hours in the batting cages and constant film review for Andrews to find the right swing.
“I went through a lot of stages: standing wide, standing tall, keeping my hands high, keeping my hands low,” he said. “It’s all about finding that one spot where you feel comfortable, and that’s what you stick with.”
That has worked so far this season. But hitting is far from the only part of the game that interests Andrews. For instance, he led Hobart in stolen bases with 32 as a freshman and 34 as a sophomore.
“Those were all legitimate stolen bases, not fielders’ indifference,” Hobart coach Trent Howard said. “He’s every bit as aggressive now — if not more aggressive — but he’s much more intelligent. He knows what he’s looking for out there and picks pitchers apart. If you have a tell, he’s going to find it.”
There are similarities between Andrews’ approach to baseball and what Howard expects of his players. Each is focused on exploring the nuances of the game to find any tactical advantage available.
“We’re a very cerebral team,” Howard said. “We use a lot of data and information. Between that and effort, that’s how we make up the differences between the talent at some of these schools that are three times our size. And a guy like Jevan, he enjoys it here because we don’t dumb it down.”
That’s something that Andrews’ teammates have noticed as well. Senior Cam Gonzalez, a pitcher and designated hitter, said baseball-related discussions with Andrews are rarely brief.
“He really loves the game,” Gonzalez said. “He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever had the pleasure to play with. Whenever it comes to baseball, he’s locked in.”
Andrews, who received his first Division I offer from Mississippi Valley State in December, also plays for the Chicago White Sox’s Amateur City Elite program. That has brought him to baseball fields all over the country, including the one in Iowa at the site of the Field of Dreams game
More Top Picks Best Ups Battery Backups
between the White Sox and New York Yankees in 2021.He’ll stay much closer to home this spring, however, working through every baseball fundamental he can to ensure he’s playing well enough to help the Brickies thrive.
“It’s just doing whatever I can to help this team win,” he said. “I’m not a selfish kid. I love seeing my teammates succeed and seeing my coaches and my family and the people around me be happy.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.