It would be hard to top the monster season Kameron Yearsley had last spring for Yorkville.
The senior center fielder, though, has found a way to exceed expectations with his encore.
“It’s already hard enough to do what I did last year,” Yearsley said, acknowledging the burden of executing a follow-up. “For me to actually have a chance to do it again is pretty amazing.”
Yearsley did particular damage from in mid-April when he was named national player of the week by Prep Baseball Report. Five homers and 20 RBIs helped him earn that prestigious honor.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Yearsley said. “I was shocked. I’m just a kid that grew up in a great place with a great family. Everyone around me has been supportive, even my team.
“It was great to actually see it happen. It’s such an honor.”
Yearsley’s hot streak wasn’t due to a bunch of bloopers and good fortune. Yorkville coach Tom Cerven marveled about how Yearsley destroyed opposing pitchers.
“Everything off the barrel was just hit hard somewhere,” Cerven said. “It always seemed like we had guys on base as well. Jackson Roberts was getting on base at the bottom of the lineup, then Danny Rodriguez, then Nate (Harris). He didn’t miss out on opportunities to get guys in.”
Kameron Yearsley takes a easy swing on Yorkville’s new baseball field on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Jon Cunningham / The Beacon-News)
Yearsley was a revelation last season, hitting .526 with 33 runs, 10 doubles, two triples, six homers and 39 RBIs.
While his batting average isn’t quite what it was last season, a paltry .486 by his standards, he’s already close to the rest of his statistics heading into May.
Yearsley has 26 runs, seven doubles, two triples, nine homers and 37 RBIs.
“Obviously, what he did last year, you go into the season with tempered expectations,” Cerven said. “That was a special season. You don’t expect that to happen again.
“He got off to a pretty good start this year, but that week he just caught fire again.”
Roberts is a big part of Yearsley’s production too. Cerven figured having Roberts, who is creative at getting on base, hitting in the ninth spot in the order would help later in ballgames.
Yorkville’s Kameron Yearsley (17) celebrates his second two-run homer against Geneva in Yorkville on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Mark Black / The Beacon-News)
Cerven has proven to be correct because when the lineup flips over, it’s like the Foxes have another leadoff hitter. Roberts has an on-base percentage this season of .429.
“I’ve been so comfortable down there,” Roberts said. “Me getting on adds so much. Danny, Nate or Kam can get me in.”
Roberts said he loves watching Yearsley do his thing.
“Being on base with Kam is so nice,” Roberts said. “It’s a hit in the gap. You don’t even see it — it’s in the outfield so fast. It’s literally there and you’re already running home.”
The other byproduct of a high-yielding bottom of the order is by the time Yearsley comes to the plate, there’s nowhere to put him even if a team wants to pitch around him.
“They have to pitch to him,” Cerven said. “He hasn’t missed.”
Yorkville’s Kameron Yearsley (17) watches his hit into right field against Metea Valley in the third inning of a nonconference game in Aurora on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
The mental fortitude Yearsley has shown is not lost on Cerven, either.
“Especially with those expectations on his shoulders,” he said. “As a kid, it’s real easy to fall in a hole of, ‘I have to do it again.’
“That pressure where you may feel like it may be totally on you to do that is one of those things where it’s a credit to him for managing those expectations and going out there and thriving.”
In that manner, Yearsley gets particularly excited when Harris, a Kentucky recruit, gets intentionally walked in front of him.
“It just gets everyone fired up because everyone knows what I’m capable of doing,” Yearsley said. “It’s just a great sign when everyone is getting up and getting rowdy and having a good time.
“Those are experiences we love to see.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
