Spring Break
Column: Shortstop a valuable bat, voice
Collin Whitchurch / Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: Sports
Jordan Kreke is one of the main reasons the Eastern baseball team has gotten off to a 17-5 start on the season.
The senior shortstop's bat has been red hot as of late. Monday, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after going 11-for-18 with three home runs and 10 RBIs last week.
But more than his bat, Kreke is the emotional leader of the Panthers.
Head coach Jim Schmitz said Kreke is the guy on his team who is always getting on players when they make a mistake.
"He'll get up their rear when they're supposed to do something," Schmitz said.
Kreke's bat has been a pleasant surprise out of the five spot for the Panthers this season. He hit .276 as a junior and has a career batting average of .280.
Additionally, he had just four career home runs entering the season.
Through 20 games this season, Kreke's average is .424 - good for third-best on the team, and he has six home runs - tied for second on the team. He credits his success to the work he has put in at practice.
"I've been working real hard lately with (Schmitz), trying a handful of things to find my swing," he said. "In (batting practice) at Morehead I really started working the other way and getting back earlier. It all just came together."
The thing about Kreke's success that has been the most impressive hasn't necessarily been the numbers, but the timing of his hits. His first home run in the romping of Tennessee Tech Sunday came in the first inning and was a product of several miscues by the Golden Eagles. Those mistakes gave Kreke a chance to bust the game open and he delivered, sparking a 25-5 victory that seemed over before it ever got started.
It may be a little unrealistic to expect Kreke and the rest of the Eastern hitters to keep putting up the kind of numbers they have thus far, but if they even put up half as much offense as they have to this point, they will be in a great position to win a lot of games.
Kreke, senior centerfielder Brett Nommensen and junior designated hitter Richie Derbak are all hitting above .400 through 22 games.
One thing is for sure; Kreke and the rest of the seniors on the roster provide leadership in multiple ways, with their hitting, pitching and presence in the clubhouse. If those things continue to gel the way they have, the future continues to look bright for the Panthers.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
The senior shortstop's bat has been red hot as of late. Monday, he was named the Ohio Valley Conference's Player of the Week for the second consecutive week after going 11-for-18 with three home runs and 10 RBIs last week.
But more than his bat, Kreke is the emotional leader of the Panthers.
Head coach Jim Schmitz said Kreke is the guy on his team who is always getting on players when they make a mistake.
"He'll get up their rear when they're supposed to do something," Schmitz said.
Kreke's bat has been a pleasant surprise out of the five spot for the Panthers this season. He hit .276 as a junior and has a career batting average of .280.
Additionally, he had just four career home runs entering the season.
Through 20 games this season, Kreke's average is .424 - good for third-best on the team, and he has six home runs - tied for second on the team. He credits his success to the work he has put in at practice.
"I've been working real hard lately with (Schmitz), trying a handful of things to find my swing," he said. "In (batting practice) at Morehead I really started working the other way and getting back earlier. It all just came together."
The thing about Kreke's success that has been the most impressive hasn't necessarily been the numbers, but the timing of his hits. His first home run in the romping of Tennessee Tech Sunday came in the first inning and was a product of several miscues by the Golden Eagles. Those mistakes gave Kreke a chance to bust the game open and he delivered, sparking a 25-5 victory that seemed over before it ever got started.
It may be a little unrealistic to expect Kreke and the rest of the Eastern hitters to keep putting up the kind of numbers they have thus far, but if they even put up half as much offense as they have to this point, they will be in a great position to win a lot of games.
Kreke, senior centerfielder Brett Nommensen and junior designated hitter Richie Derbak are all hitting above .400 through 22 games.
One thing is for sure; Kreke and the rest of the seniors on the roster provide leadership in multiple ways, with their hitting, pitching and presence in the clubhouse. If those things continue to gel the way they have, the future continues to look bright for the Panthers.
Collin Whitchurch can be reached at 581-7944 or cfwhitchurch@eiu.edu.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.
Be the first to comment on this story