At the start of the season, things weren’t going very well at the plate for Yorkville’s Kal Arntzen. When that happens, however, he knows how to diagnose the situation for himself.
Many players will automatically hit the cages, thinking that a minor mechanical adjustment may unlock something. Arntzen, a senior left fielder, feels his issues are usually between the ears.
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“It took about a week,” he said. “Not with the swing, just approach. I’m taking more pitches, being more selective, not just swinging out of my shoes and just seeing the ball.”
Arntzen didn’t have his typical huge game at the plate in Tuesday’s wild 14-9 Southwest Prairie Conference win over visiting Oswego East, but his fingerprints were all over the game.
While Arntzen only went 1-for-2, he was hit by two pitches, drew a walk and his groundout drove in a run for the Foxes (15-7, 6-3). He also scored twice and drove in two runs. Kamden Muell scored three runs with two RBIs. Jailen Veliz scored three runs and Frankie Pavlik added three RBIs.
Oklahoma State recruit Jacsen Tucker kept Oswego East (11-12, 4-3) in the game, going 3-for-5 with three runs, a double, a homer and five RBIs. Noah Deist went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs. Niko Villacci added two hits and two runs.
Arntzen, meanwhile, improved his batting average to .365 for this season. He’s hit three homers. He added his seventh double Tuesday and also has driven in 14 runs and scored 20 times.
Yorkville coach Tom Cerven is impressed with Arntzen’s ability to correct himself when he knows things aren’t going well.
“What separates good hitters from great hitters at this level is the development of the mental side,” Cerven said. “When Kal isn’t going well, he’s usually swinging at the first pitch, whether they’re curveballs or fastballs. There are times where there is a lot of soft contact.
“He’s definitely hunting certain pitches, and when he gets them, he’s not missing those pitches.”
Yorkville jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first on only one hit. They drew nine walks and Arntzen was hit by two pitches in the inning.
“It was really nice,” Arntzen said. “The guys were disciplined at the plate, didn’t swing at everything. We knew the situation. They were walking guys. Don’t swing if you don’t have to.”
Oswego East reliever Braden Currer shut down Yorkville the next three innings, however, and the Wolves were able to climb back into the game.
They cut the lead to 12-8 on Tucker’s three-run homer in the sixth.
“I think we have the offense that we can compete with anybody,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said.
Having Tucker definitely helps. Welcoming back Illinois-Chicago recruit Dominic Battista will also help. He missed the start of the season with a broken hamate bone.
Battista produced two hits Tuesday in his first full game back in the lineup.
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“I think you see it with the guys, how they’re approaching the games,” Schaeffer said. “There’s a different mentality. They’re more upbeat — just that mentality that we can beat anybody.”
At the same time, Arntzen’s turnaround has coincided with a team-wide offensive turnaround for Yorkville. Collectively, the Foxes struggled early on. Now, they’re clicking, winning five straight.
“It feels like the at-bats are stringing together,” Arntzen said. “It seems like we’re all going.”
Cerven pointed to the work Arntzen and his senior-heavy group put in leading up to the season.
“Kal put in a ton of work in the offseason,” Cerven said. “They’re up in the morning hitting before school. It’s nice to see kids who put in the work like that start to see dividends.
“They stayed on the path and kept working.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.