EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville baseball third baseman and pitcher Spencer Stearns is off to a good start with his bat, getting off to a six-for-15 start for a batting average of .400 with one home run and six RBIs.
His first homer came on a cold and blustery Wednesday afternoon, hitting a ball over the left-field fence for his first homer of the year in the Tigers' 14-4 five-inning win over Granite City at the Edwardsville District 7 Sports Complex.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Stearns has been working on his batting since the start of preseason practice, and on Wednesday, the work started to pay off.
"I think it's going good," Stearns said during a postgame interview. "Coach (Tim) Funkhouser has been working with me on my swing in practice, so we got a good indoor practice yesterday. And I really started to get a feel for my swing, keeping my hands tight and keeping working back on my swing and I think that really helped me to just keep my head on the ball and being able to hit that one out today."
The Tigers took the lead on Stearns' home run in the first, then scored five times in the second inning to take control of the game. The Tigers played well in all phases of the game, and Stearns was very happy with how things went.
"Yeah, we really came together as a team," Stearns said. "our offense is starting to heat up a little bit, even though the weather wasn't the best; it was a little rainy and a little windy. I think our offense pulled through."
The important thing for the Tigers is their 5-0 start and Stearns is also very happy with the team's start.
"Absolutely," Stearns said. "We've got to just play every game one game at a time."
The Tigers were rained out of a game against DeSmet Jesuit of west St. Louis County the day before, but it didn't stop the team from getting a good workout in.
"We were able to get inside and get a good practice, even though our game got rained out," Stearns said. "So that was awesome."
The Tigers have started off well, indeed, and Stearns feels that the offense is starting to come around, which is a very good sign for the team.
"I think we've started really good," Stearns said. "Offense has come through and they're heating up every game. I think we started a little cold with our offense, but I think they're definitely headed in the right direction."
For the Tigers, it's just keeping things simple and taking it one game at a time.
"I think we just keep taking it one game at a time," Stearns said, "one pitch at a time and we just keep on our way."
For himself, Stearns just wants to stay hungry and keep improving as the season goes along.
"Keep finding my swing," Stearns said. "You can be never satisfied, so even though I had a good day today at the plate, I've got to keep working for it and keep getting better."
