At a young age, Daniel Bastidas showed what he could do for Metea Valley.
He made varsity as a freshman, taking over as the Mustangs’ starting second baseman midway through the season. He knew what he needed to do to take the next step, however.
“I’ve been told by a lot of coaches that I have to get stronger,” said Bastidas, who’s now a junior. “That’s going to be the separation between where I am and the next level.
“This offseason, I made it very important to get stronger in the weight room.”
That progress showed against Waubonsie Valley ace Jarron Thompson. Bastidas hit a bases-loaded double, putting the game out of a reach in a 9-2 DuPage Valley Conference win.
“Last year, he was very tough and it was hard for me to catch up to him,” Bastidas said of Thompson. “Barreling up that ball really showed that I’ve made some strides. It felt good.”
Metea coach Steve Colombe is impressed with the progress Bastidas has made.
“You could see as a freshman he had a really good understanding of how to approach at-bats and handle himself offensively,” Colombe said. “He had a really nice, line-drive swing.
“What he’s done the last two years is get stronger. Before, it was a lot of singles. Now, it’s more extra-base hits because he’s gotten stronger and he’s matured. He’s just more explosive for us offensively.”
Bastidas has emerged as the top hitter this season for the Mustangs (6-8, 3-1). He’s batting. 444 with 10 runs, 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs.
While Colombe was impressed with the fact Bastidas produced the double off Thompson, he was even more impressed with how he approached that at-bat.
“Nothing really gets to him too much,” Colombe said. “He’s very calm, very confident. He’s made the biggest jump from last year to this year in our whole varsity group.”
Bastidas has also shown versatility on defense. When senior catcher Jake LaVine missed the first few games due to a sore wrist, Bastidas took over behind the plate.
He has also filled in at shortstop.
“In the offseason, I focused still on catching,” Bastidas said. “But I also got my reps in at second because I knew in the spring I would have to play there.”
Add a willingness to do whatever the team needs to the list of strengths.
“I have to play my role and that’s really all I’m trying to do,” Bastidas said. “I just try to do what my coaches tell me. Whatever the coaches need me to do, I try to do my best.”
Colombe knows better than to assign a positional label on Bastidas.
“He’s just a good baseball player,” Colombe said. “He’s a gym rat in the cages. He did a lot of work in the weight room this offseason.”
The Mustangs started conference play by taking two of three from DeKalb and then winning the opener from Waubonsie Valley. Weather issues delayed the rest of that series.
Metea has also faced some adversity with injuries to LaVine and returning all-conference selection Jeremy Wrona.
An arm issue has prevented Wrona from pitching this season. He’s unable to play in the field.
“Whatever we can get out of him at this point is kind of a bonus,” Colombe said of Wrona. “We want to make sure he’s healthy for everything moving forward.”
With Metea settling into its season, Bastidas sees good things ahead.
“We’re starting to pick it up again,” he said. “It’s really just coming together. Our pitching has been pretty decent, but we’ve been struggling with the bats.
“Just putting the ball in play and helping out our pitchers is what’s helping us. It’s been working.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
