Tyler Buehler was part of a talented sophomore group who made the jump to varsity baseball for Manteno last spring.
It was a good season for the shortstop — who batted .310 with 15 runs and 14 RBIs — and for the Panthers, who finished 19-7.
The sequel could be even better.
Buehler went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs as Manteno completed a two-game sweep of rival Peotone with a 5-0 road win on April 1.
Even though he’s hitting leadoff for the Panthers, who started 8-0, Buehler is leading the team in RBIs with 13 — just one shy of his total for all of last season.
Driving in runs isn’t necessarily his top priority given his spot in the lineup. But Buehler will take it.
“Top of the order, (I’m) just trying to get on base,” Buehler said. “Just get out and tell my teammates what I see.”
But the RBI opportunities have been plentiful in the early going.
“I’m just trying to put the ball in play,” he said. “(With runners at) second and third, I’m just trying to get it out there, try to get them in so we can get the win.”
As Manteno coach Matt Beckner pointed out, it helps when the hitters at the bottom of the order are producing.
“I think he’s leading us (in RBIs) because our (No.) 9 hitters have done so well,” Beckner said. “Look at our on-base percentage. Brady Hespen, who’s not here but was our 9 hitter for the first few games — he would always get on base.
“And now I think Jake (Wendling) is leading our team in average, so Jake’s on base all the time. It’s easier for Tyler to knock him in. I credit that more to the bottom of our lineup playing the way that they’re playing.”
But also credit Buehler for settling in during his second varsity season.
“I feel way more comfortable,” he said. “Sophomore year, I had a little jitters.”
During the offseason, he focused on getting better with the bat.
“The hitting’s been a little struggle, but it’s been getting up there,” Buehler said.
He also scored twice and drove in a run in Manteno’s 12-2 home win against Peotone on March 31. Connor Harrod had two hits and two RBIs, while Braden Campbell also drove in two runs.
In the April 1 game, Manteno lefty Andrew Norred struck out five over four innings of one-hit relief to earn the win.
Norred doesn’t waste any time, which was a plus in the cold, windy conditions.
“For this weather, he’s the perfect guy,” Beckner said. “He’s catch, throw, catch, throw, catch, throw. … He does work quick, it’s his pace. In this kind of weather, we love it.”
For Peotone, Ruben Velasco III went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in the first game of the series. Tyler Leitelt was 1-for-3 and shut out the Panthers through four innings of Game 2, finishing with six strikeouts over five innings of three-run ball.
“Tyler’s one of our dudes,” Blue Devils coach Teddy Baffes said. “He brings it every single day, on the mound — wherever you put him, he’s an athlete.”