EDWARDSVILLE - Junior outfielder Nathan Bukovac had a great day at the plate on April 25, 2026, when he came up with two hits and four RBIs, including a two-run double that helped break open the game in a six-run sixth inning that helped give Edwardsville a 9-3 baseball win over Parkway South of Manchester, Mo., in west St. Louis County, at Tom Pile Field.
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Bukovac has emerged as a key player and hitter for the Tigers this season, and is currently hitting .333 with no home runs, seven RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, helping Edwardsville to an 11-8 record so far this season, with May still to come.
Nathan is a Spencer Homes Male Athlete Of The Month.
In a postgame interview that followed the win over the Patriots, he described his at-bats where he drove in the runs as waiting for his pitches, and being patient at bat.
"I was working on staying behind the ball," Bukovac said, "and in that first at-bat, I just got a pitch to hit, and got it, working my at-bat, because I was down 0-2, and then came back and battled, I got that hit. In that second at-bat, when I had that other single, I just kind of bunted him over, so bases loaded for me, and I just was focusing on hitting it to the outfield, so I got it past the third baseman, scoring those runs."
As one of the younger players on the Tigers, Bukovac has emerged as a key player who has become a dependable hitter for the team, and it's certainly a great feeling for him.
"Yeah, it's amazing," Bukovac said. "I love it."
And as the season is getting ready to hit the stretch drive in May, with the IHSA Class 4A playoffs dead ahead, Bukovac has kept his goals and ambitions for himself and the Tigers focused ahead.
"I have just been focusing on every at-bat," Bukovac said, "and getting better every day. Get one percent better every day, just work on it, and what's in the past is in the past; you can't really control that. I want to work every day on the new day."
Needless to say, he's been very happy with how things have gone for himself this season, and he's also hoping for good things to happen along the way for the rest of the campaign.
"I just want to keep doing well," Bukovac said, "be the best version of myself that I can be to help the team out. We're (the Tigers) getting better. We started not too hot, but we're getting better together, learning every day. We're just getting better, and our pitching, we've lost some guys, but I think we've worked around that, so when a couple of guys come back and get healthy, we're going to be even better than we are."
