At least by his standards, Geneva’s Nate Stempowski had relatively slow starts to the season.
That happened during the past two springs, but as the calendar flipped over to 2024, the senior shortstop ended up picking baseball over football for college and then committed to McHenry.
What was a trend has been obliterated.
“It definitely frees you up, makes you feel calm,” Stempowski said. “You don’t have to really worry about anything. It’s a last go with the guys. You don’t have to worry about performing for schools.
“I’m having fun. If I’m having fun out there, I’m always doing well.”
Stempowski hit a home run on the first pitch he saw this season against South Elgin. In that game, be became the first player from Geneva’s program to hit for the cycle since at least 1992.
And he hasn’t stopped there.
So far, Stempowski is batting .688 (11-for-19). He has scored 11 runs and driven in 19 — that’s not a typo — with three steals, three doubles, two triples and two homers to lead the Vikings (6-0).
“It’s insane,” Geneva coach Brad Wendell said. “He’s seeing the ball well and not chasing any bad pitches. When he hits it, he’s doing damage. He really seems to be locked in, hitting the ball hard.”
Geneva’s Nate Stempowski forces out St. Charles North’s Parker Reinke at second base and throws to first to complete the double play during a DuKane Conference game in St. Charles on Monday, April 25, 2022. (Jon Langham / The Beacon-News)
For Stempowski, the results have been great but the process never changed.
“It’s just senior year, being confident at the plate, playing ball and having fun with the guys,” Stempowski said. “I stay disciplined. I say, ‘see ball, hit ball,’ and do just that.
“I try to not overcomplicate things.”
While that may be the case, hitting for the cycle in his first game of the season couldn’t have been in the plans. He also connected on the first pitch in all four at-bats.
The sequence went homer, double, triple and single. He didn’t anticipate performing that feat coming into the game, but by his final trip to the plate, he knew what was at stake.
“I was definitely thinking about it my last at-bat,” Stempowski said. “Even the (South Elgin) catcher brought it up. I hit a nice line drive up the middle. It felt so good. Everyone was cheering.
“It was a nice accomplishment. I never thought I would do that. Definitely a first for me and it’s pretty rare, so it’s pretty cool.”
Geneva’s Nate Stempowski throws out a runner at first base against St. Charles North during a DuKane Conference in St. Charles on Monday, April 25, 2022. (Jon Langham / The Beacon-News)
Bryce Breon, one of his good friends and a fellow three-year varsity regular, enjoyed the show from the dugout.
“I even tell him, I get so happy watching him because I know something good is going to come out of his at-bat,” Breon said. “I knew he was a single away. I was saying, ‘If you hit a gap shot, are you going to stay at first?’
“To joke around like that is so fun.”
As one of the aces for the Vikings alongside Seth Kisner, Breon appreciates all the things that Stempowski brings to the table even if he’s not hitting for the cycle.
“Knowing I can trust him is great,” Breon said. “He’s a great athlete with experience. He’s got the power, speed and glove. He’s got everything you’d want as a player.”
Geneva’s Nate Stempowski (3) eludes the defense against St. Charles North during a DuKane Conference game in St. Charles on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
While that’s nice, DuKane Conference play starts Monday against Wheaton Warrenville South.
It prompted Wendell to have a chat with Stempowski after the Vikings returned from their spring break trip to Memphis.
“We had a conversation about being patient,” Wendell said. “As he’s gotten off to this hot start, it’s not that people didn’t know him. Everybody knows him in the conference. It’s about letting the game come to him.
“He knows what to expect. Hopefully, he’s ready, and I think he is.”
With 17 seniors on the team, Stempowski is ready to go.
“We know what we’re capable of doing,” he said. “We have to keep our energy high. When you’re 6-0, you’re figuring it out pretty well.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
