Batting sixth in Brother Rice’s powerful order, junior first baseman Amir Gray is not used to having to wait so long for his first trip to the plate.
“I’ve always hit three or four,” Gray said. “My whole life, I’ve never hit sixth. This is the best lineup I’ve ever been in.
“I know coach (Sean) McBride has me down there for a reason. I want to drive in runs. I want to be the best sixth hitter in the nation.”
Gray is definitely making a strong argument for that title.
The Purdue recruit went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and hit his third home run of the season Thursday as the Crusaders rolled to a 15-5 five-inning victory over host De La Salle in a Catholic League crossover.
“He’s hitting probably over .600 now,” McBride said of Gray. “It’s one of those things where we’re kind of rolling offensively and it’s hard to make changes to your lineup when you’re doing that.
“But he’s been hitting like a three hitter, that’s for sure. He has all year, but all of these guys have.”
Northwestern football recruit Jack Lausch went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while Kansas State commit Christian Holmes and Maryville recruit Nick Daugherty also drove in two runs apiece for Brother Rice (9-0, 2-0 CCL Blue). Louisville recruit Zion Rose had two hits, three runs and an RBI.
Kenny Perez homered, singled and had four RBIs for De La Salle (5-4, 0-2 CCL White).
The Crusaders have entered the national rankings after a 4-0 run last week to win the championship of the National High School Select Tournament in Georgia.
“Going 4-0 down there against some of the best competition in the nation, we feel like we can beat anybody in the world right now,” Gray said. “We’re on top of the world. We want to stay on top.”
In the second inning Thursday, Gray homered to put Brother Rice for good, giving the Crusaders a 3-2 lead.
Gray also committed to Purdue as a freshman before playing a high school game, so he has been in the spotlight a long time.
“The pressure was immense, but playing in the Catholic League is going to prepare me for anything,” he said. “I’ve been locked in from the start, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Gray’s homer down the right field line showcased something he has been working on.
“Amir’s hit his whole life,” McBride said. “He’s one of those guys that can just roll out of bed and hit. He’s got that natural ability to swing the bat. When he’s going well, he hits gap to gap.
“This year, he’s starting to realize he has some pull-side power. If he can keep developing that, he’s awfully dangerous.”
The Crusaders scored multiple runs in every inning except for a one-run fourth.
Despite having only two hits — both from Perez — the Meteors manufactured runs and were within 9-5 after the top of the fifth. Sidney Atkins drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.
The Crusaders played as the home team after the game was moved from Brother Rice to utilize De La Salle’s turf field on a snowy day. They scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth to walk it off on Rose’s two-out single.
“It’s been a lot of fun so far this season,” Lausch said. “The cool thing is just knowing the guy in front of you and the guy behind you is someone who can get the job done.
“I think that’s the coolest part. We do a good job trusting each other and building off each other’s at-bats.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.