Coming into this season, Oswego’s coaching staff was trying to figure out just how much to put on the plate of sophomore shortstop Kamrin Jenkins.
Joe Giarrante has called up sophomores before, and while talent can be what puts them in position to be successful on the varsity, there’s much more to consider.
“We kicked it around at the beginning of the year,” Giarrante said. “He has a good enough demeanor, and that’s the biggest challenge when you bring kids up at a young age — how they handle all the nuances of playing varsity baseball.
“He sets the tone for us at the top of the order.”
Jenkins has been playing shortstop and leading off all season for the Panthers. He rewarded that confidence Tuesday with the winning two-run double in the seventh inning of a 5-3 Southwest Prairie West victory at West Aurora.
Oswego (13-7-1, 3-2) had been held to one run in the first 13 innings of the conference series before Jenkins ripped a two-run double to left to give the Panthers the lead.
The big hit made a winner of Nick Mottet, who struck out five and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and a walk in his six innings. Nick Tickle worked the seventh to earn the save.
Cooper Matheny carried a no-hitter through 4 1/3 innings for West Aurora (9-9, 2-3). He took the loss despite striking out eight without a walk over 6 1/3 innings. He also added an RBI single.
On the heels of Monday’s gem by Jake Niedzwiedz, West Aurora coach John Reeves was impressed with the job Matheny did on the mound.
Oswego’s Kamrin Jenkins (23) looks for a pitch against West Aurora’s Cooper Matheny during a Southwest Prairie West game in Aurora on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
“He was just pounding the zone,” Reeves said of Matheny. “He was getting contact that was right at people. It wasn’t hard contact. It wasn’t finding holes.
“Some miscues allowed some runs, but you have to find a way to score more than three.”
Jenkins was no stranger to varsity play entering this spring. Near the end of the football season, Jenkins was called up to the varsity. He also played on the basketball team in the winter.
In baseball, however, he has been tasked with being the catalyst for a young team.
West Aurora’s Cooper Matheny (9) throws a pitch against Oswego during a Southwest Prairie West game in Aurora on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
“I knew I was going to be up there in the lineup,” Jenkins said. “Ever since tryouts, I’ve been trying to prove to them that I can stay at short and stay at leadoff all year.
“It’s interesting because every sport I’ve been thrown in the fire and I’ve done what I can.”
Oswego did what it could Tuesday, trailing 3-1 going into the seventh inning. Two errors, an infield single and a strikeout brought Matheny to his pitch limit, so he was lifted for Carson Bantz.
A walk and an RBI single from Gabriel Herrera helped the Panthers force a 3-3 tie. That brought up Jenkins, who turned on a pitch and hit it deep to left to drive in the eventual winning runs.
Oswego’s Kamrin Jenkins (23) chases down a fly ball against West Aurora for the final out in the seventh inning of a Southwest Prairie West game in Aurora on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (H. Rick Bamman / The Beacon-News)
“I just got my pitch,” Jenkins said. “It was right there. My eyes lit up. I just broke it open, got us up.
“I loved it. It put me in a situation where I have to show up or sit down.”
Giarrante loved seeing how his young leader didn’t shrink from the moment.
“He didn’t have a hit all game,” Giarrante said of Jenkins. “When the time was right, he executed and did what he had to do. It was nice to see. We’ll keep working with him.
“He’s kind of a silent leader and lets his play do the talking. We’ve brought a few guys up before. He’s just as capable of all of them to produce and play at a high level now and in the future.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
