There’s a school of thought that one the hardest things to do in sports is hit a baseball, but Marist’s Cal Sefcik doesn’t go to that school.
Sefcik, who will be a junior, believes hitting a baseball is one of the best things to do in sports. It’s what he loves most.
“It’s my favorite part,” he said. “I love the feeling when you hit it right on the barrel.”
And when Sefcik does that, the ball exits fast, as he proved in a recent showcase in Georgia.
As a member of Team Illinois, Sefcik worked out and played three games in front of college coaches at the Prep Baseball Report Future Games in the Atlanta suburb of Emerson. The showcase was open to the top unsigned 16-year-olds in the country.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Sefcik had six batted balls exit at 97 mph or more, including one that left the bat at 98.5 during a workout.
Yes, he loves hitting it right on the barrel — and others have noticed.
PBR scout Diego Solares said Sefcik “stood out among a group of extremely talented prospects.”
“Every single pitcher was good and every single hitter was good,” Sefcik said of the competition.
Other area position players for Team Illinois were De La Salle shortstop Jaden Correa, Marian Catholic catcher Randall Nauden and St. Laurence catcher Johnny Wendling.
Solares said Correa is a player who “oozes innate confidence” and “bounces around the infield with a certain moxie to him.” During drills, he also hit a ball that was clocked at 98.6 mph off the barrel. He hit a two-run homer in a loss to Indiana.
Secfik, meanwhile, comes from a baseball family.
His father, Kevin played in the major leagues from 1995 through 2000 with Philadelphia and picked up an at-bat with Colorado in 2001. The Andrew graduate and Orland Park resident is Marist’s baseball coach.
Cal’s oldest brother, Zach played at North Central College. His older brother, Luke, was the 2021 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year. He’s heading to Central Michigan as a preferred walk-on after having a lights-out senior season for Marist.
Cal may deserve a little credit for Luke’s big season. The two never got to be teammates until this spring.
“It was cool and it was competitive,” Cal said. “He had a little bit of a better season than I did. But we stayed competitive.”
Kevin was glad to see them together for the first time.
“It was good for both of them,” he said. “I think it helped Luke more than it helped Cal. Having his younger brother on the team got him going a little bit. It stirred him up. He said, ‘There’s no way you’re going to take the spotlight away from me.'”
In his varsity debut, Cal hit .360 for Marist and led the team in extra-base hits with 15. He also pitched. While Kevin wasn’t expecting too much success, Cal surprised him with a 1.77 ERA.
Cal said the highlight of the season was a single that turned into a three-base error and drove in three runs during a 5-3 victory over Brother Rice in the Do It Stevie’s Way Tournament championship game.
The next few years could be bright for Cal.
“Cal is more of a guy with arm strength and can hit the ball out of the park,” Kevin said. “If he can improve on watching the game more on TV and listening to announcers like Steve Stone and guys like that who describe things, I think he’ll keep improving.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
