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There were no expectations last season for St. Charles East’s Seth Winkler.
After a rocky sophomore year in the field where he didn’t throw an inning, Winkler put up an epic two-way effort that earned him DuKane Conference’s player of the year.
“Being able to earn that reward was such an honor,” Winkler said. “I didn’t find out until our banquet. It was such a surprise. I had no idea it was coming. That felt really good.”
The encore to that season has started slowly but not because of any sort of slump.
Instead of resting on his laurels, the senior shortstop/pitcher is working through some major swing adjustments at the plate and adding to his repertoire on the mound.
He’s searching for the timing on both aspects, something coach Len Asquini admires.
“One of the goals and philosophies is trying to get better every day,” Asquini said. “He certainly embraces that. He’s quite a story. He had a really rough sophomore year, but he didn’t get discouraged. He stuck with it and worked to get better always.
“He got in the weight room in the offseason, gained some weight, good positive muscle. He changed some things with his swing. He did some other things with his arm so he’s throwing a little harder.”
At the plate, Winkler has worked on being more upright in the box.
“I changed my swing up a lot this offseason so I’m still trying to get my timing down,” Winkler said. “I’m not so low in my stance. I was pretty low, bending my knees.
“I kind of raised my stance up a little bit so I can get to the high fastball in the zone that a lot of high school umpires do call.”
Asquini had a feeling Winkler would be able to contribute on the mound last season, but he had no idea he would elevate himself to the level of last year’s senior aces, Nathan Hayes and Gavin Sitarz.
“There were no expectations for me,” Winkler said. “First year on the varsity squad, especially with Nathan and Gavin, two of the best guys in the conference, to do that was pretty good.
“It hasn’t started the way I want with pitching, but again, it’s still early in the season. There’s a lot I can do.”
The term slow start is all relative, of course. While seeking continual improvement, he’s still hitting in the .400 range and is 1-0 on the mound.
“He’s not in a rhythm on the mound or at the plate,” Asquini said. “However, he’s still pretty dang good.”
Winkler went from inexperienced to one of the only pitchers the Saints returned for this season. He’s quickly moved into mentor mode.
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“He’s been a great teammate, great leader, mentor and role model,” Asquini said. “He’s working with our lower level guys, too. He’s embraced the accolades and trying to add to them.”
Winkler has made quite an impression on sophomore Joey Arend, who is ranked No. 21 as a sophomore in the state by Prep Baseball Report.
“I like his pitch sequences a lot,” Arend said of Winker. “His pitches work so well. The movement on them is honestly crazy. I like to look at his velocity and how he mixes in his pitches. He does a very good job.”
Those attributes caught the eye of Kirkwood Community College in Iowa.
Based on a recommendation from former teammate Kyle Hayes, who now plays there, Winkler is headed to Kirkwood as a two-way recruit.
“It just kind of clicked,” Winkler said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity to go there for two years, prove even more, and hopefully, go on to bigger and better things.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
