ROGERSVILLE, Mo. — Jordan Fitzpatrick grew up with a bat in his hand. Home movies show the video evidence of his budding passion, from the time he could walk and physically support the weight of the instrument.
It was fostered by his father, a longtime little league coach, who taught both Fitzpatrick and his sister.
“My first at-bat ever in tee ball, I was like a year-and-a-half-old, maybe two,” he said. “I was just pestering my mom the entire time during a game, she was shooting for my sister. They finally let me go up and hit and it went about three feet in front of home plate.”
These days, the Logan-Rogersville senior is a bit more intimidating in a batters box.
Undefeated Buffalo found that out first-hand on Tuesday as the Missouri State signee blasted three home runs in his first three at-bats to fuel a 15-5 win for the Wildcats.
Fitzpatrick has five homers in the first seven games this season after notching only one in 2016.
“We’ve preached to him about the one-pitch philosophy” head coach Casey Ledl said. “You’re only going to get one pitch to hit per at-bat and, when it comes, you cannot miss it. I think he struggled with that a bit last year.”
He managed to carry a .370 average and produce 26 runs as a junior, but Fitzpatrick echoed the sentiment and finds himself more patient to start this spring.
From the time Ledl arrived in Rogersville, the future Bear stood out, even as an eighth grader.
“It was one of those where we were going to get his bat in the lineup one way or another. Outfield was the spot we had open and he jumped out there, then moved to the infield as a sophomore.”
As a freshman, his plate prowess was already enough to force him into a lineup that would go on to produce six all-state selections, including eventual St. Louis Cardinal draft pick Jacob Schlesener, and reach the final four.
“It just sounded different coming off his bat. He was a no-doubter.”
Fitzpatrick turned heads by earning an all-state honorable mention in Class 4 for his fist varsity season. After landing on the second team as a sophomore, he is now one of the old heads, using the lessons learned while getting flanked by some of the state’s best.
“It’s not just me teaching the younger guys,” he said. “If they see something that I can improve, I want them to tell me. It goes both ways here.”
Even on a rain-soaked afternoon, like Wednesday, the Wildcats have little interest in a day off. With state ambitions, there are still grounders to field off the wall of one gym and batting cages to pummel in another.
“We were not happy with how last year ended. Aurora beat us in districts, and they’re a very good ball club, but we want to be at the top of that district and see where it goes from there… hopefully get a final four run and see where it all takes us.”
The term “look good, feel good, play good” may ring truer for Fitzpatrick and his teammates than anyone else in the Ozarks at the moment. Logan-Rogersville’s white uniforms were chosen by fans as the 2017 Uniform of the Year out of 64 participants at the O-Zone.
It has been a hectic couple weeks rallying friends, family, the community, and beyond to fill the ballot box.
“These are the ones I usually want to wear. I think the white looks good.”
There are few players who perform better in those aforementioned threads.
“Most coaches in this area, we all coach very similarly,” Ledl said. “We try to identify a guy in the lineup that we’re going to try to take out of the game and not let hurt us. Jordan’s that guy in our lineup.”
If he stays that way, it gives the Wildcats a fighting chance for a district championship.
