Sammy Jimenez, the Upstate Eight Conference’s reigning player of the year, was the subject. South Elgin coach Brad Reynard almost sounded like he was embarrassed.
Reynard’s admission? He always bats Jimenez in the third spot.
“Before the game, I was toying around with moving her down to sixth in the lineup, just to give her more RBI opportunities,” Reynard said. “Thankfully, I didn’t.”
Jimenez, a senior third baseman who’s also one of several capable catchers on the team, went 4-for-4 Monday with an intentional walk to lead the Storm to a 14-5 victory at Bartlett.
In both teams’ Upstate Eight opener, Jimenez scored three runs and had four RBIs for South Elgin (7-2, 1-0), which held a short-lived 10-run lead over Bartlett (3-5, 0-1).
That happened in the fifth on Jimenez’s second home run of the season, a two-run shot.
Nothing has been wrong with Jimenez’s hitting, either. Reynard’s star player is “still hitting .420, just the RBIs and home runs are down.”
Last season, Jimenez hit .539 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs.
“She’s been on it all year,” Reynard said of Jimenez, an NCAA Division II Tusculum recruit. “She still has that gap power. It’s just the quietest .400 you could possibly hit.”
A big reason Jimenez might have been overshadowed was the noise being made by Nos. 1 and 2 hitters Cara Cruthers and Hannah Harms.
Cruthers is a senior catcher/shortstop and Northern Illinois commit. Harms is a junior outfielder. Both entered Monday’s game with five home runs and double-digit RBIs.
Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith was certainly mindful of Jimenez when she stepped to the plate.
“She’s a beast,” Wolfsmith said. “She’s like a sixth-year senior. And with Cara and Hannah along with her, you’re going to struggle to find a 1-2-3 combo as good as that, certainly in the area.
“They can all hit for power. They’re all really fast. Sammy is a phenomenal athlete, and when they get on the bases, they’re aggressive.”
Jimenez receives personal instruction on her catching in the winter from Kaneland coach Mike Kuefler and hitting help from St. Charles North assistant Thijs Dennison.
Kuefler’s daughter, Paige, is a former Tusculum assistant, which put Jimenez on the staff’s radar. That led to an invite for a camp at the school in Greeneville, Tennessee.
“My goal has been to stay consistent with my hitting and fielding and try not to think too much about things,” Jimenez said. “I had great confidence going into that at-bat on the home run.
“Playing here is fun. It’s a crosstown rival, and it was fun getting out to an early lead.”
Big boppers: South Elgin now has 16 home runs this season.
“The kids are swinging it,” Reynard said. “The biggest difference is just our depth.”
Wolfsmith, whose lineup features four sophomores and a freshman, agreed.
“They can hit one through nine,” Wolfsmith said of South Elgin. “Actually, they can about one through 12.
“(Bartlett starter Addie Koth) pitched well but got behind too many hitters and we made some errors behind her. You have to be mentally sharp, physically sharp to be in it against a team like South Elgin.”
Wolfsmith was happy his team battled back to go seven innings.
Rising to the occasion: One pitcher who’s had South Elgin’s number is St. Charles East ace Izzy Howe, who delivered an 11-0 win last week over the Storm.
“Hats off to Izzy — she’s a great pitcher,” Jimenez said. “I think we have to be more selective, learn from our mistakes and keep off her riseball because it’s pretty good.”
Indeed.
Howe came back Monday and shut down Downers Grove North with a no-hitter in a 6-0 win. The Coastal Carolina commit struck out 15 with one walk. One batter also reached on an error.
Big numbers: Oswego freshman Aubriella Garza, who hit .786 last week, has two home runs and four doubles this season. Oswego East sophomore Mary Kate Quaid, meanwhile, played in her first two varsity games and went 6-for-7. She had a three-run homer and eight RBIs.
Playing up: Newark (12-2) continues to fare well against bigger schools, adding a win over Geneseo to go with earlier victories against DeKalb and Batavia.