Boone Grove’s Seth Pitcock said it all came together in one swing.
It happened several years ago when Pitcock was playing 12U travel baseball in Wisconsin. He got an 0-2 pitch he liked.
“I hit a really hard line drive to the opposite field, and there was this little hill behind the fence, and the ball was, like, indented into the grass,” he said. “Ever since then, I’ve had a bunch of confidence, and everything in the game has just clicked for me.”
That was Pitcock’s first over-the-fence home run. Plenty more have followed for the junior shortstop/pitcher, who is one of the leaders of a team with no seniors.
Pitcock is hitting .333 with a team-high seven stolen bases for the Wolves (3-2). On the mound, he is 2-1 with a 3.87 ERA in a team-high 12 2/3 innings.
Pitcock handled a similarly large role last season. He was second on the team with a .473 batting average while recording team highs of 52 hits, 53 runs scored, 36 stolen bases and five triples, and he went 4-2 with a 3.47 ERA in 34 1/3 innings.
First-year Boone Grove coach Sean Riley couldn’t stop finding ways to compliment Pitcock, a player he described as someone who “eats, sleeps and breathes baseball.”
“He can lead off or he could be our No. 2 or No. 3 hitter,” Riley said. “His skill on the bases is second to none. He’s a slick fielder. His work ethic is amazing; he loves to work.”
Boone Grove’s Seth Pitcock, right, arrives at third base as Morgan Township’s Logan Atchison keeps his eyes on the ball during a game at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary on Monday, April 24, 2023. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Riley said he believes Pitcock’s passion for the sport is a result of growing up in a baseball-loving family, and Pitcock seemed to agree, talking about his older brother, Trey, a 2023 Boone Grove graduate who pitches at Wabash.
“I’d always go to his games, and his travel teams were extremely good,” Seth Pitcock. “I just grew up around great baseball, especially with him in high school. Obviously, there was some arguing between us at times, but every single moment with him made me better.”
Trey Pitcock offered similar sentiments as he looked back at the two seasons they spent together on Boone Grove’s roster.
“When you’re actually on the field together, it’s so different,” Trey Pitcock said. “You get so much closer than you ever thought you could. Being in college now, I’m playing with all of these great guys. But that’s one thing I’ll never get back that I miss so much — playing with him.”
Trey Pitcock said he first noticed just how far Seth had come when they were recovering from injuries two years ago. After an intense workout, Trey Pitcock was gasping for air, but he didn’t see any signs of exhaustion from Seth.
“He always did everything well,” Trey Pitcock said. “But watching him go through that rehab is when I realized that he’s a dude.”
Boone Grove’s Trey Pitcock, left, gets ready for a pitch during a game against Morgan Township at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary on Monday, April 24, 2023. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Seth Pitcock could follow Trey and play in college. Would he want to pitch or get more at-bats as an everyday player?
“I have my full heart in both,” Seth Pitcock said. “I love hitting, I love pitching and I’m competitive in both. It’s wherever it takes me.”
Where he can take Boone Grove remains to be seen. But Pitcock remains focused on the present.
“We’re an extremely young team, and we’re too worried about becoming the team we think we should be instead of just playing the game in front of us,” he said. “Our junior class this year, we have to step up.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
