Will Portera leads Danville Dans to 10th straight triumph
Jul. 16—DANVILLE — Most baseball coaches will tell you that a good defensive catchers are worth their weight in gold.
Will Portera has been that guy for the Danville Dans this summer.
The redshirt freshman from the University of Alabama has been receiving and throwing the ball really well this summer and his ability to work with the pitching staff has been excellent, according to Danville manager Eric Coleman.
The only thing missing for the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder from Memphis, Tenn., has been that consistent contribution at the plate.
But, that has changed recently.
In his last three starts, Portera is batting .500 (6-of-12) with five runs scored and an RBI.
On Friday night, he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and that RBI as the Danville Dans extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 8-4 triumph over the Cape Catfish at Danville Stadium.
"He swung it well Wednesday night in Chillicothe and it carried over to tonight," Coleman said. "He is getting hot at the right time.
"He is a good player and there is a reason why he is playing at Alabama ... I'm really happy to see him having success at the plate."
Portera has seen his batting average go from .182 to .225 in just a week and he credits the rise to a better approach.
"I've been out front a lot," he said. "So I change my approach — sitting back more. I can still get on the fastballs and I'm able to stay on the breaking balls better."
Right before this recent hitting streak, Portera had been mired in a 3-of-28 slump.
"That was so frustrating," he admitted. "I kept getting barrels but they would get caught. I tried to change some things and then I got myself in a hole. I was just having some trouble."
But to Portera's credit, his offensive struggles didn't affect his catching ability.
The Dans have won 14 straight games with Portera as their starting catcher.
"Being behind the plate, you are always doing something to help the team win, even if you are just helping out the pitchers," he said. "But, it does feel good to get some hits, some RBIs and score some runs to also make a difference on the scoreboard."
Also coming up big on Friday night for Danville was designated hitter Jack Ellis, whose 2-run single in the second inning gave the Dans a lead they would never relinquish. Joining Portera with multiple hits was shortstop Drake Digorno, whose RBI double in the eighth inning sent 833 spectators home with $1 ButterBurgers from Culver's as part of the ButterBurger Bash program.
That was more than enough offense for Braylon Myers, who went five innings, allowing three runs on five hits, to get his third win of the summer. Nathaniel Brouse went two innings and Landon Tompkins got the final six outs to secure his fifth save of the summer.
