Conant Enjoying An All-Star Summer
July 18, 2019 | Baseball
Infielder enters sophomore year with momentum of strong summer season
Between attending four Chicago Cubs games and playing a few rounds of golf, Justin Conant is having himself a summer. Playing for the NWI Oilmen this summer in the Midwest Collegiate League, the rising sophomore infielder is sharpening his game and earned an all-star nod along the way.Â
Conant was recently batting .321 with 12 RBIs and a .451 OBP and earned a spot in the Midwest College League All-Star Game (sadly the game was rained out). He attributes his success to an adjusted batting stance and increased focus when he has two strikes on him.Â
"This summer I told myself I would work on two-strike hitting. I've widened my stance a little bit," Conant said. "My swing is a bit more quiet so I can put more balls in play. I didn't do a bad job at that last year, but I'm just trying to put as many balls in play as I can."
RELATED: Counting On Conant
Conant, from Shorewood, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs, played in 33 games and started 19 times all over the infield as a freshman. He hit .258 and, admittedly, exceeded his expectations as he started out in college. He came to Ball State expecting to redshirt, but injuries to other infielders moved him up the depth chart and he was lauded by the coaching staff for stepping up and being a positive contributor.
"Getting some at-bats and staying prepared is always good," he said. "To be honest, I did better than I expected. I mainly focused on playing solid defense because that's what Coach Maloney said I was good at and preached to me. I tried to play defense and knew the hits would eventually come."
Coincidentally, Conant's double play partner on the Oilmen is Northern Illinois infielder Malik Peters. The two have had some good-natured chats about Ball State's thrilling 8-7, 11-inning MAC Championship win over NIU in May.Â
"He kept saying they should've won, but we had three different chances to win that game. But we walked it off," Conant said.Â
With a good tournament run and some solid playing time under his belt, Conant will attempt to build off his summer heading into his sophomore season in the fall. He says he's faster and has improved at stealing bases in addition to working on his contact-with-two-strikes approach, adding to his game because the Cardinals will be on campus before you know it.
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Conant was recently batting .321 with 12 RBIs and a .451 OBP and earned a spot in the Midwest College League All-Star Game (sadly the game was rained out). He attributes his success to an adjusted batting stance and increased focus when he has two strikes on him.Â
"This summer I told myself I would work on two-strike hitting. I've widened my stance a little bit," Conant said. "My swing is a bit more quiet so I can put more balls in play. I didn't do a bad job at that last year, but I'm just trying to put as many balls in play as I can."
RELATED: Counting On Conant
Conant, from Shorewood, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs, played in 33 games and started 19 times all over the infield as a freshman. He hit .258 and, admittedly, exceeded his expectations as he started out in college. He came to Ball State expecting to redshirt, but injuries to other infielders moved him up the depth chart and he was lauded by the coaching staff for stepping up and being a positive contributor.
"Getting some at-bats and staying prepared is always good," he said. "To be honest, I did better than I expected. I mainly focused on playing solid defense because that's what Coach Maloney said I was good at and preached to me. I tried to play defense and knew the hits would eventually come."
Coincidentally, Conant's double play partner on the Oilmen is Northern Illinois infielder Malik Peters. The two have had some good-natured chats about Ball State's thrilling 8-7, 11-inning MAC Championship win over NIU in May.Â
"He kept saying they should've won, but we had three different chances to win that game. But we walked it off," Conant said.Â
With a good tournament run and some solid playing time under his belt, Conant will attempt to build off his summer heading into his sophomore season in the fall. He says he's faster and has improved at stealing bases in addition to working on his contact-with-two-strikes approach, adding to his game because the Cardinals will be on campus before you know it.
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OTHER CARDINALS IN SUMMER BALL
Kyle Nicolas, an Academic All-MAC pick last year as a sophomore, has been solid as a reliever for Cotuit in the Cape Cod League. Nicolas is 1-0 with four saves, striking out 24 over 18.2 innings. Andre Orsellis and Garett Simmons also pitched a lot of innings this summer, with Simmons striking out 33 over 21.1 innings for Traverse City in the Northwoods League. And Tim Blankenberger has five home runs in plate appearances in the Ohio Valley League.Â
PRO PITCHERS UPDATE
Drey Jameson, the MAC Pitcher of the Year and first round pick by Arizona, has reported to Class A Short Season Hillsboro to begin his pro career. Another All-MAC pitcher, recent grad Nick Floyd, is pitching well for the Gary SouthShore Railcats.ÂÂ
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