River Forest junior Sebastian Collazo IV is fulfilling his promise this season.
Ingots baseball coach Michael Kosinski has long seen that ability in Collazo, and the first baseman/pitcher is delivering.
“We’ve been waiting for this for two years, since he was a freshman,” Kosinski said. “He’s been coming since seventh grade to our high school conditioning. We finally got him as a freshman, and we expected big things.
“Everybody takes their own time, and the maturity really hit him this year.”
Collazo was hitting .432 with 12 RBIs, 15 runs scored and 15 stolen bases before River Forest (13-6, 7-3), which tied for second in the Greater South Shore Conference behind Illiana Christian, played Westville on Wednesday.
He also was 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA and 26 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 1/3 innings on the mound for the Ingots, who have won six straight games and open the Class 3A Kankakee Valley Sectional against Andrean on May 29.
Collazo hit .170 as a freshman and .213 last season before breaking out this season.
“I’ve been doing a lot better,” he said. “I’m just seeing the ball a lot better.
“Just a lot of work. I do stuff before and after practice. During practice, I do stuff by myself, too, hitting off the tee. Or I ask him (Kosinski) if I can hit in the cage during his travel ball practice.”
Collazo set the program record for walks in a season with 23 as a freshman, a mark surpassed this season by sophomore Walter Jaime. But Collazo has 19 hits this season, more than the 18 he had in his first two seasons combined.
“They’re solid hits too,” Kosinski said. “He’s putting the bat on the ball. It comes from the extra work. It’s just his maturity.
“Him growing up is huge for us. Coming off his first two years, we expected a lot from him offensively. His on-base percentage his first two years was really good, but we were expecting more hits coming from him. This year, his growth, he’s really putting the bat on the ball, finding holes, finding gaps. He’s done every little thing that’s needed to be done in the offseason, and now it’s transitioning into the season.”
Collazo has also produced timely hits. He has as many RBIs this season as he totaled over his first two seasons.
“He’s doing a really good job with runners in scoring position, and that’s huge for us,” Kosinski said. “We’ve had problems with that and doing the little things we need to do. So that’s huge as a team and as a captain to get that going for us.”
Collazo has embraced that leadership role.
“He’s our captain that leads by example,” Kosinski said. “He’s not a man of many words, but the way he carries himself speaks volumes for the person he is. His mom and dad raised him right.
“He really does a good job with just showing how things need to be done the correct way. He doesn’t slack walking on the field, walking between the lines. He knows when to pick it up. He knows when we need a spark. That’s just his maturity.”
River Forest junior shortstop/pitcher Brandon Fergerson agreed Collazo is making an impact.
“He works hard, and he’s doing well this year,” Fergerson said. “But he’s just a great person to be around. He’s very quiet, but he’s funny.”
Collazo also plays tennis. He was the No. 1 singles player for the Ingots last season.
“I did pretty decent, but I mainly do it to stay conditioned for baseball,” he said.
Kosinski believes Collazo is just starting to scratch the surface in baseball and is capable of playing in college.
“He has all the potential to go compete at any school,” Kosinski said. “His work ethic speaks volumes to where he is today. He has all the potential in the world.
“He’s been lights out for us this year. He’s improved in all aspects of his game, from the mound to the plate. You can see his overall development, and he’s a leader on and off the field, in the classroom. All offseason, he came during and after hours to get work in to improve his game, and the results are showing.”