HOLLAND — Baseball is so much more of a mental game than people realize.
When a hitter is in the box, thousands of thoughts could be going through his head before the pitcher hurls back and fires the ball down toward him at more than 80 mph. With the inner wheels of the batter's head in constant motion, they can sometimes try to do too much at the plate.
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West Ottawa senior Nate Kastens knows that all too well. He wasn't having a bad season by any means, but he wasn't doing as well as he knew he was capable of with the bat in his hand. That all changed this week though.
The centerfielder hit two home runs in a series win over Grandville, the first of the year for him. He continued that hot streak Friday at Holland, going 1-for-3 with an RBI in the Panthers' 5-1 win over the Dutch.
"I think I'm finding it, I'm barreling up the ball a little bit more and I'm trying to stay consistent," Kastens said. "I know there's a lot of different pitching speed variations, but I'm just finding my groove and finding my rhythm right now."
He's finding that steady swing at the right time too. West Ottawa has won four straight series in OK Red play, which is arguably the toughest baseball conference in the state of Michigan. They dropped a series to perennial state power Hudsonville and still have another state power in Rockford coming next week.
Still, Kastens' resurgence at the plate, along with stellar pitching from guys like Noah Bonnema, has the Panthers right in the thick of things in the conference title race. Matt Naber, West Ottawa's coach, knows that if Kastens keeps hitting the way he has been, it'll become contagious throughout the already stacked lineup and set them up in a good spot when the playoffs roll around.
"For this team to win four conference series in a row, that's a major accomplishment, there are no 'gimmie' games in the 21 game schedule," Naber said. "Nate's been a big part of that [his timely hitting] has recently sort of let us breathe a little bit in big games."
Hitting is the part of baseball that most people think the value of a player comes from. It has all the eye-catching stats like batting average or RBIs, which no doubt are extremely important. But those runs created at the dish only matter if the defense on the back end isn't giving up runs of their own on their journey to getting 21 outs.
It took him a bit to get the power and consistency to turn on this season, but that defensive aspect was never in doubt. He's a magnet in centerfield, getting nearly any ball that comes even remotely in his vicinity.
Kastens is a reigning OK-Red first-team outfielder and its pretty clear why when watching him operate. His quick first step and efficient routes can make even the toughest catches seem routine.
"He's taken away probably 10 to 15 base hits or doubles this season just with his speed and his athleticism and ability to track the ball," Naber said. "Having him as sort of the quarterback of the outfield is huge."
He's hoping to have the opportunity to continue his baseball career at the next level, but he hasn't committed anywhere just yet. He's opting to focus on his last high school season and his academics before making a final decision on where to spend the next four years.
College baseball will certainly be an incredible experience if that's the route Kastens chooses to take. He just wants to soak up all the memories and smiles he can for the last few weeks he gets the chance to wear the black and white "Panthers" across his chest.
"I think the biggest thing is just enjoying it right now, I don't really want to have any regrets here," Kastens said. "I just want to go out, play hard and do it as much as I can with my team. We have a lot of fun, we like being out there."
The sport Kastens fell in love with can be more fun than anything in the world when things are going right. But the diamond can also be one of the cruelest places on Earth if things aren't.
As long as the senior keeps his thoughts to a minimum when he's in the box, then the good times should continue to roll all the way to the district playoffs.
"At the start of the season he was being a little nit-picky looking for that perfect pitch...recently he's done such a good job of adjusting and being aggressive," Naber said. "He's a good hitter, he's not going to be held down consistently, he's going to be able to do his thing and hit for some power down the stretch,"
—Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Will.Kennedy@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.