Reavis’ Jonathan Liesen has an elemental understanding about the physics of baseball.
Not even a gushing 25-mph wind to right-center could alter the swing of the junior third baseman.
“I’m just trying to hit the ball hard,” he said. “Good things are going to happen when you do that.
“He threw me a nice fastball, and I was able to read it out of his hand pretty well. I sat back and saw the ball get into the air, and it got some backspin to carry it pretty far.”
Like in “Shrek,” to a land far, far away.
Liesen hit a massive two-run homer Monday afternoon to spark a 10-run second inning, powering the host Rams to an 18-3 victory in four innings over Bloom in Burbank.
Junior shortstop Jose Gonzalez also went 2-for-3 with four RBIs for Reavis (2-2). Junior outfielder Blake Stefanek added a pair doubles and three RBIs in the monumental second inning.
Senior infielder Daniel Williams had two hits and blasted a two-run double for Bloom (0-3).
Liesen, meanwhile, finished 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs. He also scored three runs. The highlight? His first home run of the season carried more than 372 feet over the left-center fence.
“I mean, once the whole team sees someone do it, it just makes you want to pick each other up,” Liesen said of the Rams, who generated eight extra-base hits. “You always want to show up the person in front of you, not in a bad way.
“We’re competitive with each other, and we all want to outhit each other.”
Fourteen players had an at-bat during the second inning.
“The home run was definitely a confidence boost for the whole team,” Stefanek said. “With him bringing that energy up to the plate, he’s our main guy. Once everybody saw that, we just wanted to follow him.”
As a three-year varsity starter, Liesen personifies the combination of skill and experience that Reavis wants to parlay into a big season.
“Once he went yard, I think everybody thought about how much hard work he put in during the offseason,” Gonzalez said. “If he could do it, then anybody could.
“All it takes is one big hit and it gets the whole team going.”
Liesen took up baseball relatively late, not getting very serious about the game until about the age of 10. He played hockey and football. He was a two-year starter at quarterback for the Rams.
“I feel like being a leader in baseball really carried over to football,” Liesen said. “I’ve looked at myself as a leader ever since I was young.
“Quarterback’s a fun position, and I had to take some of the team under my wing. I do the same with baseball, try to keep everybody’s spirits up.”
After getting thrown right into the mix as a freshman two years ago, Liesen took that experience into his breakout sophomore season. He helped power the Rams to a 29-4 record last spring.
“As a freshman, I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said. “We had a bunch of seniors, and I wasn’t thought to be one of the main guys.
“Last year, we had a lot of sophomores, myself included, and I just thought someone’s got to be vocal. And it was a good opportunity for me.”
At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Liesen has the range and power to handle third base. And he wields a big stick that’s different than in hockey but the feeling is the same at the plate.
“When I played hockey, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “My daddy didn’t know a lot about hockey when I played, but he always tried to get me into baseball.
“Eventually he did, and I just fell in love with it. And now it’s my life.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
