One year has absolutely made a difference for junior catcher Alex Abraham and Geneva.
As a sophomore last spring, Abraham had a strong season behind the plate but struggled with his bat for the Vikings. Not into revisionist history, he certainly wasn’t about to sugarcoat it.
“I had 15 hits and I batted .180,” Abraham said with a shake of his head, offering up a wry smile. “I had a rough sophomore season. And during the offseason, I was recovering from surgery on my arm because I tore my ulnar collateral ligament in my elbow in summer ball.
“I was able to start playing again in February, so I worked a lot on hitting before I could throw. I went to the cages a lot and got my hitting down.”
Did he ever.
Abraham joined the hit parade Wednesday for Geneva in a 12-1 win over Belvidere North in a Class 3A Sycamore Sectional semifinal with a single in the first inning, his 47th hit of the season.
On top of that, Abraham scored a run and hit a sacrifice fly in the second to boost his team-leading RBI total to 32 for the Vikings (31-7), who play at 11 a.m. Saturday for the sectional title against Rockford Boylan (24-14), a 7-4 winner in the other semifinal over Wheaton Academy (29-9).
“I used to be a wide-stride guy,” Abraham said of his stance. “And then I shortened it and made it more simple.”
Abraham came into the game hitting a robust .411, second on the team only to junior outfielder Mason Bruesch at .438. Abraham also drew a walk in the fourth inning Wednesday.
It has been a turnaround season for the Vikings, who lost in the first round of last year’s Class 4A playoffs and moved to 3A this year due to the school’s decline in enrollment.
“The biggest difference is we walked into the playoffs last year thinking it was going to be a cakewalk,” Abraham said. “We brought so much energy this year. We didn’t come out flat.”
A talented, deep pitching staff also helped subdue the Blue Thunder (17-12-1).
Sophomore left-hander AJ Minderman (9-2) carried a perfect game into the fourth. He struck out five in 5 2/3 innings, giving up only one run on four hits with two walks. He pitched a four-inning no-hitter in a 19-0 win over Streamwood in the playoff opener.
“Minderman came ready to throw and we did things we needed to do to get runs,” Geneva coach Brad Wendell said. “The strength of our team all year long is our staff.
“We trust any guy we put out there to throw strikes and that’s what they do.”
Abraham, meanwhile, worked with Minderman during the winter.
“He doesn’t have the most velocity but his fastball is consistent and his arsenal is really good,” Abraham said.
Bruesch, a Michigan State commit, led off Wednesday’s game with a triple to right-center and finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.
Senior third baseman Ryan Kastor and junior shortstop Nelson Wendell added two hits apiece to an 11-hit attack that was bolstered by eight walks, two hit-by-pitches and 12 stolen bases.
“We try to take advantage of it if we can,” Wendell said of the running game. “I’ve got guys that can move a little bit, so it’s playing hard and being aggressive.”
And Abraham, selected a captain heading into the postseason in an annual vote by the team, keeps getting better. He’ll be back for football at safety after missing last season.
“We talk about catcher being the tip of the spear — everybody has eyes on him,” Brad Wendell said. “It’s a leadership position and Alex has owned it all year long.
“He’s been that captain in a lot of ways with his effort but also taking care of our pitching staff. We have some hard throwers. He takes care of the ball and has a strong arm. His bat plays, too.”
