Batavia's Drish proves he's a No. 3 hitter

Coming into the season, Batavia's baseball team had three of the first four slots in its batting order set.

Leadoff hitter Alex Beckmann, headed to Northern Illinois University in the fall, was set in stone. No. 2 hitter Brad Brandenburg and slugging cleanup hitter Brian Krolikowski were entrenched as well.

But the spot vacated by Zach Deutscher, the critical No. 3 spot, was a mystery.

But coach Matt Holm has played the role of Robert Stack and solved that quandary with junior left fielder Tim Drish.

Drish, in his first varsity season, is hitting .458 with a team-high 23 RBIs for the 11-8 Bulldogs.

"The first thing he added was a three-hitter that we didn't know we had," Holm said. "Last summer, he hit some, but you never know what kind of pitching you're seeing there. I knew he could hit, it was just a matter of getting used to good pitching. It's been a very pleasant surprise."

Drish was not worried about his adjustment to varsity baseball, thanks to his extensive résumé of travel baseball he has compiled since age 9.

"You can't even compare the pitching you see there to high school pitching," Drish said. "There are a few kids in the suburbs that throw in the high 80s, but in travel ball, that's all you see."

In the season opener against Minooka, Holm batted Drish in the No. 6 slot, with Krolikowski manning the No. 3 slot. But as the season unfolded, Drish moved up to No. 5 and eventually settled in at No. 3, with Krolikowski -- Drish's neighbor in Batavia -- back mashing in his natural spot of cleanup.

"I don't mean to detract from Krolo, but he's a power hitter," Holm said. "Tim does not strike out, very rarely. He's confident hitting with two strikes and being able to fight off bad pitches until he gets one he can drive. That's been a big advantage."

As he was coming up, Drish was a two-way standout, hitting the mid-80s with his fastball at age 14. But trying to impress travel coaches and two brothers much older than him broke his arm down. In 2005, he had ulnar nerve surgery on his elbow. Then in 2006, he had labrum surgery on his shoulder.

"It was from throwing curveballs as a youngster," Drish admitted. "I was never afraid to tell my coaches when I was hurt, but I tried to show off when I was younger. I wanted to finish every game, and then play the next game at catcher and throw everybody out. I really miss pitching. It was a big setback for me."

The upside to not pitching now is that Drish can focus all of his attention on hitting. He has worked with Steve Hayward at Strikes Baseball Academy in Broadview for six years, and now has Beckmann and Krolikowski tagging along for lessons on Sundays.

"I'm focusing a ton on hitting," Drish said. "I feel like I'm getting better and better. I just want to hit as much as I can. The day after my elbow surgery (in the winter of 2006) I was asking the doctor when I could starting hitting. It's nice to know I can still hit with a bum arm."