19 Jul 2007

Fast start has Ochinko in the spotlight

By George Kostinas

GateHouse News Service
Thu Jul 19, 2007, 11:38 AM EDT 

Cape Cod - Sean Ochinko stands very still at the plate with his weight shifted slightly to his back foot; his left elbow is up and the bat is held high, straight up and down, wagging back and forth just a little as he waits for the pitch.
    He steps quickly and, with a long, sweeping swing, drills a line drive-single into left-center field.

    Adjusting to the wooden bats and facing topnotch pitching day in and day out usually puts the hitters in the Cape Cod Baseball League at a disadvantage, especially early in the season.

    However, the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox catcher is one of several hitters who got off to a fast start and continued to be impressive at the plate.

    In the first game of the season, a 6-3 win over the Hyannis Mets, Ochinko went 4 for-5, but then ran into a number of hitless games.

    “I got off to a good start, I had a real good first game. Then I was having some trouble. I was a little slow getting around on the ball, but I made some adjustments and started hitting again,” says Ochinko.

    Red Sox field manager Scott Pickler says Ochinko was dropping his shoulder, but has done a good job adjusting. 

    “He was a little long in the middle, but shortened it up again,” says Pickler.
And that he did.

    He went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in a 15-1 win over the Cotuit Kettleers, and after playing in seven games he was batting .391 as the Red Sox had a firm grip on first place in the Eastern Division with a 7-1 record.

    “Sometimes with the younger players they get a little success early and they want to do more; he doesn’t have to do more. When he stays within himself he is a pretty good hitter,” says Pickler.
Ochinko, a right-hand batter from Louisiana State University, is a versatile hitter. He can spray the ball to all fields for singles; he can drive it for extra bases; and he can hit with power.
“Almost half of my hits last year [at LSU] were for extra bases; I’m not a slappy hitter,” Ochinko says.

    Ochinko continues to work on staying within himself every time he comes to the plate.
“I try to be real still and keep my hands and head as still as possible. Then I want to get my foot down real early. For me it is all about seeing the ball; it’s all eyes and hands,” says the 5-11, 200-pounder.

    “I try to get into the best counts I can. I try to get into a fastball count; just sit on pitches. I watch the pitcher as he’s warming up and try to pick a pitch he’ll throw, and then I’ll sit and wait on that pitch,” he adds.

    Although Ochinko has slowed a little, he still has a solid .321 batting average in 24 games with four home runs, six doubles and 13 RBI.

    That he has struck out only 14 times while drawing five bases on balls is further evidence of his discipline at the plate. And that he is playing better this summer than he did last spring at LSU is just a continuation of the progress he has made this year.

    He started slow at LSU, gradually improving and finished the season with a .280 batting average with seven homers and 35 runs batted in. 

    As a true freshman, he started every game, playing mostly at catcher but also at first base at times, and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team.

    “Coming up here to play, it doesn’t get any better,” says Ochinko. “I played at LSU in maybe the best conference in the country, but up here it is better because you face their [the opponent’s] ace every day. Everybody’s throwing 90 or 92 [mph], so if you don’t come to play every day here, the pitcher will eat your lunch.”

    Ochinko has played well defensively, with only one error, despite playing mostly at first base.
He is more comfortable behind the plate because he feels he is not tall enough to play first base.