The progression is real for Lowell junior catcher Camden Mikulich.
A starter for three seasons, Mikulich has added components to his game in each one. He knows he isn’t a finished product, but he’s on the right path.
“Going into this offseason, I realized what my problem was,” he said. “I got the defense. I got the swing. I need the power. So I put on the mass and hit the weight room, and now it’s all starting to come together a little bit.”
Mikulich, who gained 20 pounds since last season, is hitting .375 with three doubles after the Red Devils (6-4, 3-1) stepped out of Northwest Crossroads Conference play for a win at Rensselaer on Thursday. Against the Bombers, he went 3-for-4 with his first career homer.
Mikulich was quick to note he already has more doubles than he had all of last season, when he hit .348 with one double.
He ran cross country during his freshman and sophomore years, but he opted not to run last season in order to focus on baseball.
“Part of my realization that I needed to put some mass on, put some power on, running 6 to 8 miles a day wasn’t helping me build mass, it was only making me skinnier,” Mikulich said. “So this year I realized if I wanted to take baseball more seriously and go to that next level, I needed to cut it out, and I did.
“I spent this whole offseason, and it made a big difference. I made the right choice.”
Mikulich, who also played basketball as a freshman, said he “made a huge change to my swing” in an effort to generate more power.
“I was always very wide, and I started taking a bigger stride to get more power,” he said. “Between the change in my stance and how I’m swinging and putting on some mass in the offseason and the weight I’ve gained, it’s all helped me tremendously hit the ball harder.”
Mikulich has been a stalwart defensively from the outset of his Lowell career.
“The seniors when I was a freshman were awesome,” he said. “They were so welcoming to me. They really made it a safe environment. The one thing that helped me the most was I knew my job as a catcher. Most catchers are defensive-oriented, and the most important part of their game is what they do behind the plate, not at the plate, and I did not have a good season offensively my freshman year.
“Being a freshman on varsity, it was eye-opening. But I knew, day in and day out, all of those guys had my back, and they knew I belonged. I knew my job was to go out there and give 100% effort, and no one was going to say anything bad about it. They were very welcoming, and I still keep in touch with them today. Awesome group of kids. I love all of them.”
Mikuluch has added a significant task behind the plate this season.
“I’ve been building really strong relationships with my pitchers,” he said. “As a catcher, coach gave me the responsibility of calling the games, calling pitches all game. In order to do that, you have to build a really strong relationship with the pitcher, and you also have to know what’s going on. That was a huge thing I’ve been able to add to my game this year.
“It was tough at first. We went through some ups and downs. But as of late, I’ve been doing a very solid job. My pitchers trust me. My coach trusts me.”
Indeed, Lowell coach Ben Mahar has high praise for Mikulich.
“Cam’s one of the better defensive catchers I’ve seen and certainly one of the best I’ve coached,” Mahar said. “Offensively, he has really good, consistent at-bats. He’s a really, really good student. He’s part of some leadership groups in our school. He’s really coming into his own as a leader this year.”
Lowell sophomore Gavin Gutierrez agreed that Mikulich has stepped forward.
“He’s a great leader,” Gutierrez said. “He definitely takes charge in the field on defense, and he’s definitely been one of our greater producers on offense. Just overall, he’s a great leader, making sure our defense is aligned 100% of the time.”
Mikulich is president of DECA, is a council member for the Lettermen’s Club and is a peer mentor at Lowell.
“The teacher who runs it will tell you it’s the hardest thing to get into in the entire school,” he said of the latter. “It’s a really good group of kids, and we do a lot to help especially the freshmen and everybody in general. We’re there for people, making sure everyone has someone to talk to. That’s something I take a lot of pride in.”
Mikulich also takes pride in what the baseball team, which opened a new turf facility this season, is attempting to build in Mahar’s second season and beyond.
“He brings a winning culture,” Mikulich said. “We have a bunch of talented guys here, and we needed a winner, and we got a winner. He’s done it before. That’s kind of what we were missing.
“We want to grow this baseball program a lot. We want to make Lowell a baseball powerhouse. Right now, a lot of teams don’t think much of us. They think of it as a game they’re going to walk in and mop us. We talk about it all the time. Our goal is to really change that. Since coach got here, it’s been one of the things he’s harped on the most. We have the talent. We have a winner. I’m excited. I want everyone to know we’re coming.”
In the past week, the Red Devils have posted victories against Munster and Illiana Christian. This season, they’ve moved down from a highly competitive Class 4A sectional to a highly competitive 3A sectional that includes the likes of Andrean, Hanover Central and Illiana.
Mikulich is aware of the challenge but doesn’t hesitate to express what Lowell would like to accomplish — something that hasn’t happened there since 1994 — with a relatively young group that would be scheduled to largely return next season.
“Our goal is to win a sectional championship,” he said. “It’s really been our goal since last year when our coach got here. We talk about it almost every day. That’s what we’re chasing. That’s why we come out here and work every day.
“Baseball’s a long season. You go one game at a time. But in the end, every game is working toward a goal, and that goal is to win a sectional.”
