In his first three years at Northwestern, left fielder Anthony Wycklendt hit .322 and drove in 109 runs in 135 games.
Last year, he became the first NU player in six years to hit 10 home runs in a season.
But the numbers haven’t been there this year.
“I feel like I’ve been seeing the ball well and hitting it well,” he said. “Sometimes the balls are going in for me, but there’s other times where balls that I hit pretty well and deep end up getting caught.
“It’s tough. But I know from what I’ve done here that sooner or later I’ll find gaps and holes, and it’s all back to normal.”
Wycklendt is hitting .217 this season, with four home runs and 13 RBI in 36 games.
Even without the offensive production of years past, the senior has found ways to help win games for the Wildcats (14-22, 11-5 Big Ten), who are tied with Michigan for the Big Ten lead.
Coach Paul Stevens said pitchers still respect Wycklendt’s ability at the plate.
“You look at his size and understand that here’s a guy who has tremendous natural power,” he said. “If he does connect with something, it can go a long, long way.”
In last Saturday’s win against Penn State, the Nittany Lions intentionally walked Wycklendt in the Cats’ last at-bat to face third baseman Caleb Fields.
Fields delivered the game-winning single. Wycklendt was hitless going into that at-bat.
“That gives us a situation to win that game because Caleb’s one of our hottest hitters,” Stevens said. “That’s pure respect. No matter what the statistics say, this is a guy you always have to be aware of. He can change the complexion of any game.”
He has also stepped up his performance in the field.
Wycklendt, who came to NU as an infielder, has adapted to his new position well over the last two years.
“When he came in here, he wasn’t a good defensive player at all,” Stevens said. “You could have rolled a basketball to him and he would have probably missed it five out of 10 times. (Now) he is an awfully solid defensive player: running down baseballs and having the arm strength to throw people out from left field.”
Wycklendt has committed only three errors this year and made three outfield assists.
He said not letting his defense falter as a function of his hitting troubles is important to him.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” he said. “It took a lot of work to learn the position and get comfortable out there. If you start tanking on defense, then your confidence as a whole can get shot down.”
Stevens said Wycklendt’s main problem right now is patience at the plate. Wycklendt leads the team in strikeouts, with 31.
Wycklendt said he needs to take what the pitchers give him.
“I see a lot of junk pitches: sliders, curveballs, changeups, a lot of stuff on corners. Nothing really over the center of the plate,” he said. “You have to be a real disciplined hitter.”
Wycklendt has shown signs of breaking from the slump, like hitting .333 in the four-game set against Michigan and launching a moon shot to left field to open up the scoring in last Saturday’s first game against Penn State.
“I’m pretty confident that if I keep the same stroke, it’ll come around,” he said. “It’s worked in the past so there’s no reason it shouldn’t work again in the future.”
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