West Central Reporter

Having won five in a row entering the weekend, the Morton baseball team has seen plenty of success on the diamond thus far as April approaches.

They captured a doubleheader split over Bryant and Stratton College on Saturday night, winning Game 1, 8-5. Their momentum and eventual six-game winning streak came to an end after losing the second game of their doubleheader, 7-4.

The offensive ability has been impressive during their recent stretch of victories. 

"Our approach with the hitters, putting ourselves into a good position. We have been hunting the fastball, and when we get our pitch we don't miss it. Laying off bad pitches for our main hitters, which are all true freshmen. While some could be a little worried about an adjustment period we have hit the ground running on offense," Manager Chris Wido said.

After missing the early part of the season due to a concussion, Diego Da Rin has been catching eyes at the hot corner. The third basemen came into the weekend with an on-base percentage and batting average over .500, which has helped lengthen the lineup.

"He can hit 2 to 5 somewhere in there and can do several different things, high on base with some pop finding where he hits around the rest of the guys. Can play a few different positions, primarily at third, not ruling out the corner outfield, capable of sliding to the middle infield," Wido mentioned.

The ability to avoid easy-outs from the top to the bottom of the lineup has allowed them to make life difficult on opposing pitchers.  Entering the week, the top four hitters atop the Panther lineup were hitting over .400 and had an OBP towards the .500 mark. These kids can play and they have shown the ability to mash with the best of them.

Coach Nido believes the bottom of the order is where they have made a difference from a season ago. Julio Trevino and Luke Ulbert at the middle and towards the bottom of the order have been key.

''They provide really good professional at-bats, Ulbert has some of the best raw power, Trevino has done a fantastic job getting on base, takes plenty of walks, and gets plenty of hit by pitches, doesn't miss his pitch when it gets there with a juice of the bat, lengthening the lineup in the 5-7 hole, it really helps," Wido said.

It takes a team effort and we saw other unsung heroes in the outfield make a difference while winning six of their past seven ball games. Nick Tampa and Kyle Washington collected six hits combined during their doubleheader split, which is crucial when the top and middle of the order are on base for them.

''Tampa and Washington are very smart hitters. They put themselves in good counts and don't miss their pitch when they get it. They both produce quality at-bats routinely and Tampa is really starting to see the ball well after a slow start,'' Wido stated.  

The Panthers have passed the eye test thus far in the season and they can thank their ability to hit with the best of them. Entering the week they were among the Top 20 offensive squads (NJCAA Division II) in a few primary categories.

Their .359 team batting average ranked No. 10 and they were No. 15 in On-Base Percentage (.359). For good measure, they also ranked No. 18 in Slugging Percentage (.537).

Thomas Schroeder, David Burch, Diego Da Rin, and Alex Brodie have all been catalysts for this squad entering April. Their ability to put the ball in play and reach base at an elite clip has given them the needed boost to wreak havoc on the opposition's pitching staff.

''Our hitters really feed off of each other. Schroeder and Burch do a good job of working the count and setting the table for the middle of the order to drive in runs and do some damage,'' Wido said.

The middle infield tandem has been raking and combined to reach base four times out of their eight plate appearances, during the Game 1 victory over Bryant & Stratton College.

''I think we have some optimism, pretty happy, how we started off. It's not about how you start and it's really how you finish. We are happy, but not playing our best baseball yet and we have a few things to improve upon to get to where we are in the season. I tell the team to enjoy it, take care of business, rest, and keep progressing," Wido said.

Next up on the schedule for the Panthers was expected to be a road trip to Rockford, but it has been canceled. So, next up officially will be a 1 pm Tuesday showdown with Harper College at Heritage Park in Wheeling.