When Oscar Alexander Jr. showed up for tryouts last season at West Aurora, the Blackhawks really didn’t know what they had on their hands.
Alexander was a catcher on the freshman team as a freshman, never getting called up to a higher level. When he showed up for his sophomore season, however, something clicked.
“We had tryouts and coach talked to me and was like, ‘I’m going to pull you up to varsity,’” Alexander said. “There was a senior catcher, so I knew I had to perform if I wanted to stay.”
After a big first game against Aurora Christian where he had two hits, Alexander staked his claim.
By the end of the season, he caught nearly every inning and became one of the team’s most reliable players. West Aurora coach John Reeves had not seen that coming in March.
“We didn’t know at the beginning what we were going to get,” Reeves said. “We knew he was athletic and could hit the ball and was pretty solid defensively. We took a look at him at tryouts and we were like, ‘We’re going to look at you a little bit more.’
“First game against Aurora Christian, he had a couple hits, a double and a good game behind the plate, so we kept going with it.”
Alexander confirmed that debut last season opened his eyes.
“First game I got an opportunity, two hits,” Alexander said. “I was kind of surprised, but I knew I had an opportunity and I had to take it.
“Being able to perform well, it was like, ‘Yeah, I belong here.’”
One of the pitchers who had to get used to him behind the plate was senior Zach Toma. After a breakout junior season, Toma committed to Heartland Community College.
Toma and Alexander developed a quick chemistry and are now dialed in with each other.
“Last year, he was young and nobody really knew who he was at the start of the year,” Toma said. “I remember the first time he ever caught me. It was different. I was used to having older catchers.
“As the year went on, he got twice as good. This year, I’m completely comfortable with him. We’re always on the same page. He’s gotten tons better and he’s starting to take charge of the team.”
And whenever Toma pitched last spring, Alexander had full confidence.
“I can trust him,” Alexander said. “Every ball he pitched, I knew where he was going to put it. I think that’s the biggest thing with pitchers and catchers, having that trust.”
Reeves sees shades of what Toma did last spring in Alexander.
“It’s like last year with Zach,” Reeves said. “We knew what Zach was capable of, then he took a step. You can see (Alexander) even take his game to another level this year.
“He’s gotten bigger, faster and stronger.”
Toma remains confident that Alexander can follow a similar path due to Alexander’s work ethic.
“One of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” Toma said. “Like on the weekend I’d ask him if he wanted to go hit at this time. I wake up late. He’d be like, ‘Yeah, I already hit, let’s do it tomorrow.’
“I didn’t see a day where he didn’t hit or work on his catching. I think he’ll have an extremely good year this year.”
Alexander also started opening some eyes on the offseason circuit. Now, he wants to show it on the field, just like Toma did last season.
“He definitely took a big jump his junior year,” Alexander said. “Yeah, that’s the goal, just keep improving. Hopefully I can perform well and some (college) coaches come out to see me.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
