It’s not overly surprising that Reavis’ leadoff hitter leads the team in a bunch of offensive categories.
That’s the kind of hitter you want at the top of the lineup.
But senior Parker Zasada also has almost twice as many stolen bases as any other Ram and that is an eye-opener.
Why? He’s a catcher.
Zasada was at it again on May 4, stealing three bases and scoring twice as Reavis rallied for a 5-3 road win over Shepard in the South Suburban Red.
By the end of the week, Zasada had 29 steals to go along with a .413 batting average, .542 on-base percentage and .653 slugging percentage for the conference-leading Rams. Reavis began this week at 19-8 overall and 13-2 in the SSC Red.
Is his base-stealing ability something the South Suburban recruit is proud of? You bet.
“For sure, there’s not many (catchers) that can do it,” Zasada said. “I can, and I practice a lot.”
The two-sport standout who also starred for the Reavis football team, does have the element of surprise.
“A pitcher doesn’t usually notice a catcher (getting) on base and then (stealing) second and (stealing) third,” Zasada said. “And I use that to my advantage and catch them off guard.”
Rams coach Kyle McKinley is good with Zasada’s aggressive approach on the bases.
“He’s got the green light at all times,” McKinley said. “He (has run) fantastic all season and he’s got a great goal in mind: get to third base where we can score. … His instinct is top-notch. Just a dude on the bases.”
Zasada also excels behind the plate,
“Defensively, he’s been a wall back there,” McKinley said. “Not many guys run on him because he’s been so consistent.”
Zasada isn’t the only Ram senior who can make things happen on the bases.
Blake Stefanek, who is back after suffering a broken leg during basketball, scored all the way from second on an infield grounder against Shepard. He was 1-for-3 with four stolen bases, an RBI and two runs.
“Blake was phenomenal all day,” McKinley said. “He had a nice bunt to put pressure on (the defense) early in the game.”
Jose Rodriguez struck out the only two batters he faced to save the win for Robert Soto, who allowed no earned runs over 5 1/3 innings while striking out nine.
For Shepard, David Nelligan and Corey Sheppard each had two hits and Nelligan drove in two runs.
“Like most teams, we’re always a work in progress,” Astros coach Frank DiFoggio said. “We have some inexperience in some spots and at times it shows. But you can’t fault our effort ever.”