Kouts sophomore Eli Harper quipped about how much he enjoys his rest.
“I like sleeping,” he said. “That’s one of the better things to do.”
One of them?
“Sleeping is the best thing,” he said. “I love taking naps.”
Harper stays plenty busy, however. After putting together an all-conference basketball season, he has shined for Kouts’ youthful baseball team this spring.
The first baseman/pitcher’s performance has caught the attention of first-year coach Jason Dorshorst.
“Eli has been a huge part of our early success both offensively and on the mound,” Dorshorst said. “He’s made a lot of hard contact and puts pressure on defenses to make plays.
“Pitching-wise, we’ve put a strong emphasis on throwing strikes and not allowing walks. He’s thrown strikes consistently all season, which has kept us out of big innings.”
Harper was hitting a team-high .429 with three doubles, a homer and seven RBIs for the Mustangs (6-3-1) through Wednesday. He also hadn’t allowed a run in three pitching appearances, giving up just three hits and three walks while striking out 13 in 9 2/3 innings.
“It’s just not overthinking,” Harper said. “It’s just going out there and playing. If I mess up, I mess up. I’m not worrying about it.
“I used to overthink everything, but I grew. I’ve played a lot of baseball. It’s just a game. I like to have fun.”
Harper is one of 12 sophomores listed on the Kouts roster, which includes just one senior, Logan Clark. Seven freshmen, including Harper, started for the Mustangs in their sectional-opening loss to Morgan Township last season. Harper tries to play his part in the development process.
“If someone needs help with something, I’ll help them out,” Harper said. “I try to make sure if someone’s struggling, they don’t get down, just to keep their head up.
“Most of us don’t have that much experience on varsity. We can be struggling sometimes. But we’re learning. We’re just getting better as a team and getting better together.”
Harper said he tried to “perfect” his swing and fine-tune his mechanics after he hit .306 with 16 RBIs and posted a 3.79 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 15 walks in 20 1/3 innings last season.
“I can definitely say I was struggling a little bit at the beginning of the season, getting used to everything,” he said. “It was a little bit of a different atmosphere. But I excelled at the end of the season.
“Having that experience this season, it’s made me feel more relaxed, more comfortable.”
Even given the team’s composition, Harper didn’t hesitate to express his belief about what Kouts can accomplish this season. One could be cautioned against sleeping on the Mustangs.
“All of us have the same goal, and that’s to win sectionals,” he said. “I just want us to win and make a run past sectionals.”
If the Mustangs can mount such a run, which last occurred in 2011, Harper figures to be at the heart of it.
“Overall, it’s a great group of guys that I’m enjoying coaching, and Eli is absolutely a big part of that,” Dorshorst said. “This is a team where players all get along and have really bought into the team-first mentality, and we’re seeing the rewards of that.”
