In theory, being moved up from fifth to second in the batting order should have required a little bit of an adjustment period for Hampshire slugger Dominick Kooistra.
The senior right fielder was off to such a strong start at the plate, however, that Whip-Purs coach Frank Simoncelli just couldn’t resist the temptation of making the switch.
“It was a change,” Kooistra said. “I was used to hitting five — a lot of guys on. I have confidence in our whole lineup. I think the change was good.
“Wherever he puts me, I’m just going to go out and play my game. I’m getting more fastballs, less off-speed, especially in the first inning.”
Those extra fastballs have helped him stay hot.
After Dominic Borecky drew a leadoff walk, Kooistra crushed a first pitch fastball over the right field wall Monday, setting the tone for a 14-3 Fox Valley Conference victory.
In addition to his second homer, Kooistra contributed two singles and also drove in five runs for Hampshire (6-3, 2-1) during the five-inning win over host Dundee-Crown.
Kyle Johnson added a pair of two-run singles in a 10-run third inning, while Evan Spenk had three RBIs and Jack Schane pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win.
Nate Benton had a two-run triple for Dundee-Crown (2-11, 0-4).
Kooistra kept it simple on his homer.
“I was trying to keep my weight back and drive it the other way,” Kooistra said. “First pitch fastball, took advantage of it. You can feel the momentum switch right away.
“We got super loud and they kind of got a little quieter. It just built from there.”
When he brought Kooistra up to the varsity as a sophomore, this is the type of dominant senior that Simoncelli envisioned penciling into his lineup every single day.
Entering Monday’s game, Kooistra was hitting a robust .450. He now has two homers and 16 RBIs, nearly matching his output from all of last season as a junior.
“As I told him in our preseason meeting, he’s exactly what we wanted him to be,” Simoncelli said. “He’s been swinging a hot bat, that’s for sure. The kid is super dedicated.
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“Even after practice he and a couple of these other guys are going to the cages almost every night. He’s hit the weight room. I’m really proud of him.”
The Whip-Purs broke the game open in the third, scoring 10 runs on nine hits in the inning. Kooistra and Spenk each had two-run singles. Johnson had two two-run singles.
“Hampshire is a good hitting team,” Dundee-Crown coach Patrick Conlin said. “One through nine, they hit it where it’s pitched and they’ll drive it.
“They don’t let too many mistakes go. If you make a mistake, they’re probably on it. I think you saw that with their first couple hitters.”
Conlin knows how quickly high school baseball can change. A week earlier, Burlington Central threw a no-hitter against Hampshire. Now, the Whip-Purs are red-hot.
“I keep trying to tell my guys, as hard as this one is to talk about, things change,” Conlin said. “If you keep working and pushing yourselves and keep trying to do things the right way, who’s to say we can’t hit it where it’s pitched and drive the ball the other way?
“Those are things we talk about. It’s just a matter of execution. We haven’t always been able to do that.”
After a successful offseason working with Phenom Illinois and on his own, Kooistra is seeing that pay off. It’s rubbing off on the rest of the team as well.
“The support from the guys, last year that’s where we fell short,” Kooistra said. “But this year, I think we’re stronger than ever actually. We’re just strong all the way around.
“I don’t think we have many weak spots.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.