Hickman catches a win

When most pitchers take the mound, they have to think about lots of things.

Pitch selection, pitch location, keeping the runners close...and the list goes on.

Most pitchers, though, aren’t pitching to Hickman catcher Bart Steponovich.

“Having Bart back there just gives the pitcher so much confidence,”

said Kewpies pitcher Stephan Peel, who pitched a complete game Wednesday in Hickman’s 3-2 win over the visiting Hannibal Pirates at Hickman Field. “I’m confident in his pitch selection and I know if I throw it in the dirt, he’ll block it. I feel like I really don’t have to think out there.”

Steponovich’s stellar defense contributed to Peel’s 11 strikeouts, many of which came on curveballs in the dirt that Steponovich had to block.

“Bart is just so good back there that the pitcher can throw whatever he wants in any situation,” said Hickman coach Dave Wilson, whose team improved to 3-3 with the win. “That trust definitely played a role in Stephan’s strikeouts today.”

Steponovich also boasts a strong arm which he displays with snap throws to first or third base when runners get a secondary lead a little too big for his liking. Few opponents take the risk of attempting to steal on him.

The pitching staff’s confidence in Steponovich is something that Hickman’s coaches are grateful to have.

“Being a former pitcher, I know it is so valuable to have that kind of trust in your catcher,” said Wilson, who pitched for Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City. “Bart has proven to his teammates at practice and in the games what he can do behind the plate so everybody has confidence in him.”

Hickman pitching coach Bobby Chick also realizes the impact Steponovich has on his staff.

“He definitely has a great field presence,” Chick said. “You can’t really put a value on that because you can’t teach that. If we could teach that, we’d have 19 Barts out there.”

Steponovich’s defense behind the plate is something he has made a point to work on over the years.

“Defense is something I’ve always taken pride in,” said Steponovich, who also went 2-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate against the Pirates (1-1). “Defense is so important because it is one of the only parts of the game that you can control. Sometimes you go through hitting slumps because of some bad luck, but you can always control your defense.”

Steponovich attributes his defensive mind-set to his older brother Nick, who played on Hickman’s state championship team two years ago and currently catches for Ohio State University.

“I guess you could say defense is my family’s specialty,” the younger Steponovich said. “Nick really helped me out a lot with that.”

The similarities between the two aren’t lost on Wilson, who also coached Nick.

“Both of them are great defensively, but they both worked hard to get that good,” Wilson said. “I remember back when Bart was only in the eighth grade and I was coaching Nick, the two would be out here on the field practicing by themselves. It’s a great work ethic that their parents have instilled in them.”

All the hard work seems to be paying off.