Sinton's Jaquae Stewart finding hitting stride in playoff for Pirates
Jaquae Stewart has not had the type of success at the plate during his career that he is having now for Sinton.
Through three weeks of the high school baseball postseason, Stewart has slugged six home runs, including three in a come-from-behind win against Wimberley in the area round. Last week it was a grand slam from Stewart that helped the Pirates sweep Needville with a run-rule victory in Game 2 in the regional quarterfinals.
For Stewart, though, the goal is not to hit the ball out of the park it is simply to do his job in a deep and dangerous lineup that has helped propel the Pirates to 32 wins this season. This week they will take on Tuloso-Midway in a Class 4A regional semifinal one-game playoff at 7 p.m. Friday at Joe Hunter Field in Beeville.
"We hit a lot, we work on it," Stewart said during a recent Sinton practice. "Whenever you go up to the plate you have a job to do, and your job isn't always hitting home runs. You've got to look at the situation, some things just happen for a reason."
Stewart, a junior, has been a part of Sinton's lineup since he was a freshman and has consistently been a solid hitter and currently hits fourth in a lineup where he hits behind lead-off hitter Marco Gonzales, Texas signee Rylan Galvan and one of the country's top catching prospects in Blake Mitchell.
Sinton coach Adrian Alaniz said what helps to set Stewart apart from other hitters is how he approaches the game, whether it is pitching (Stewart has a win and save in the playoffs) or hitting. Alaniz said he puts in consistent work that reminds him of a professional.
"To me he handles himself like a professional out there," Alaniz said. "In the cages, off the tee, the kid is the epitome of what it is to be a professional hitter in the aspect of a high school athlete. It's impressive to see right now."
Stewart is hitting .438 for the season, and during the playoffs he has found a knack for hitting the ball out of the park. Stewart is 8 of 15 in six playoff games, and of those eight hits, six have been home runs. Three of those came in the victory against Wimberley.
In fact, the Pirates have been carving up opposing pitching with the long ball. Sinton has hit 15 during the playoffs.
Stewart said he lost some of his confidence as a hitter during the 2021 season, regained it in the playoffs and it seems to have carried over to this season.
"I'm going to be honest, last year during district, I wasn't too hot and my confidence was pretty down," Stewart said. "But I worked on my swing and settled down. Hopefully I can continue staying hot for the guys and get this win."
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Len Hayward is a USA Today Sports Network Region sports director and the Caller-Times sports editor. Support more coverage like this by checking out our subscription options and special offers at Caller.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Sinton slugger Jaquae Stewart finding stride in playoffs
