After committing to Missouri in October, Oswego’s Kam Jenkins knew what was coming next.
Being an SEC recruit opens up many eyes — but immediately puts a bull’s-eye on your back.
“I feel like teams are attacking me but some teams are staying away from me,” Jenkins said. “I just have to stay mentally ready at all times and wait for my pitch and blast it.”
Those moments haven’t come quite a frequently as he would like in the early going this season, but the junior middle infielder is still contributing.
Take Thursday’s 6-3 nonconference win at Marmion, for example. He raced to beat out an infield single, scoring Jacob Fehrmann in the fourth inning. That ended up as the game-winning RBI.
Bryson Norwood went 2-for-5 to stay hot for Oswego (7-1). Donovan Williams reached base four times. Gabe Herrera drove in two runs. Aiden Jaquez picked up the win with four innings of relief.
Ethan Flores ripped a two-run homer to get Marmion (7-4-1) on the board in the first. That chased home Charlie Zebig, who doubled to lead off the inning.
The tools, however, are there for Jenkins, who’s the No. 4-ranked junior in Illinois according to Prep Baseball Report. But aside from a homer against Effingham in the second game of the season, Jenkins has kept contributing without explosive stats.
“I think he’s getting there,” Oswego coach Joe Giarrante said. “Teams know. He’s got guys around him, but it’s still not easy. It’s only a matter of time.
“I think once he gets on the defensive side that will balance him out more at the plate.”
After Thursday’s game, Jenkins is batting .308 (8-for-26) with 12 runs and nine steals. He has a hit in all but one game. Due to a minor injury, he’s been limited to duties as the designated hitter.
While he said he hopes to be back in the field soon, Jenkins was blunt in his assessment of his early performance, although he doesn’t seem to be panicking.
“I’m just not hitting the barrel consistently, missing a lot of pitches,” Jenkins said. “I’m sure by the middle of the season it will start clicking. It’s a little frustrating.
“I just want to do what’s best for my team and help them win. It will click soon.”
Giarrante pointed to Jenkins’ game-winning hit as an example of what he’s still able to provide, even though he’s still just scratching the surface of his talent.
“He’s going to be there at the top of the order for us,” Giarrante said. “He gets on base. Evan an infield single, most kids probably wouldn’t leg that out and he did.”
Jenkins’ hit was part of a three-run fourth inning that gave Oswego a 4-3 lead. A sacrifice fly from Herrera and an RBI double from Norwood preceded Jenkins’ single.
That erased Marmion’s early lead, which was provided by the slugging Flores.
“He never gets cheated,” Marmion coach Aaron Nieckula said of Flores. “He comes into that batter’s box and he’s like, ‘I’m looking to do damage.’ That’s what good hitters do.
“Fastball up in the zone, he had a great swing and hit a missile out to left field.”
Jenkins, meanwhile, was thorough in the process of selecting a college, ultimately focusing on Missouri, which plays in arguably the best conference in the country.
“Going through all the options, I was just blessed,” Jenkins said. “I felt like Mizzou was the best option. I want to be starting as a freshman there and see great competition every day.”
In the meantime, he’s just trying to grind away for Oswego until the switch flips.
“Especially since I’m not in the field, I want to be the best teammate I can be in here,” he said. “I try to get the energy up in the dugout.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
