In the fall, sophomore center fielder Mason Atkins faced plenty of pressure situations playing quarterback on the varsity for West Aurora. And that set him up for success this spring.
As Atkins made his varsity baseball debut, those experiences provided an ample boost.
“I’m not coming out here nervous or anything,” Atkins said, looking back on his rookie football season for the Blackhawks. “I’m coming out here confident, and I feel comfortable out here.”
West Aurora coach John Reeves knows that playing under the bright lights of Ormond Stadium on Friday nights prepared Atkins for anything and everything he might see on the baseball field.
“He’s playing in the stadium, 5,000 people, and he’s been in a playoff football game,” Reeves said of Atkins’ performance in the fall. “He hasn’t had nerves all year. He’s absolutely on fire so far.
“Both he and Carson (Bantz) have been swinging the bat really well.”
That was the case in Thursday’s rain-stopped Southwest Prairie Conference game vs. Yorkville.
Atkins singled and scored on Bantz’s three-run homer in the first inning. They both had RBI singles in the third before the game was suspended with West Aurora up 10-7 entering the fourth.
The combination of Atkins hitting third and Bantz batting in the cleanup spot have been a big key this season for the Blackhawks (7-7). Bantz, for one, was a known commodity entering the spring.
Going into Thursday’s series finale against Yorkville, Bantz was living up to the billing, hitting a team-best .444 with 15 RBIs. Atkins has been right there, batting .419 with six doubles.
“I’m seeing a lot of strikes,” Atkins said. “I’m not seeing pitchers throw away from me or throw a ton of off-speed. They’re trying to get it in there because they know that Carson is our big guy.
“It’s giving me opportunities to hit, for sure.”
Many of Bantz’s 15 RBIs, however, are due to Atkins getting on base.
“I think he’s gotten more confident,” Bantz said. “It’s his first year on varsity and he’s grown. He’s become a leader. I’ve seen the confidence in him. He has really good approaches at the plate too.
“When he gets on, I feel motivated by him to drive him in.”
At least early on, Reeves didn’t discount the fact that teams were going at Atkins to try to avoid Bantz. As the season has gone on, though, Atkins has proven himself and that may change.
“Having Carson behind him, and people in the league know who Carson is, helps,” Reeves said.
At the same time, Reeves has shown confidence putting Atkins into the fire immediately. That confidence has been rewarded with a breakout season.
“He’s off to a great start,” Reeves said. “He can run. He’s strong. He plays great defense. He hasn’t been hitting the ball out of the ballpark, but he’ll shoot a ball into the gap and get doubles.
“He puts the bat on the ball. He doesn’t strike out a lot, which is nice.”
The decision for college is still a couple of years away, but Atkins suddenly finds himself having success both in football and baseball at such a young age.
“I started playing baseball earlier, but football has always stuck with me,” Atkins said. “Football has always been a big love for me.”
Which sport is in the lead for his future is still up in the air.
“I don’t know,” Atkins said. “I’m having great seasons in both.”
No matter what Atkins decides to do, Reeves is excited to watch that continued development in both sports.
“This is just the start,” Reeves said. “He’s going to be somebody to watch. It will be fun as time goes on.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
