Senior catcher Leyton Kolln has helped the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial baseball team to a 7-2 record, including a 2-2 mark in the CIML Conference. He has started all nine games.
Kolln is batting .357 with one home run, two doubles and seven RBIs. He will play for Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb., next year.
Here is some inside info on Kolln:
Congratulations on a strong start to the season. Are you happy with how you have played?
Yes, I’m very happy with how I have started, but the main thing is staying focused and keeping the team all focused on our goal.
You were the backup last year behind all-state catcher Nick Severson, who helped lead the team to a school-record 30 victories. Did you learn a lot from Nick and by watching him play?
I learned a lot from Nick for sure. The main thing I learned and saw was his ability to forget about a bad swing or at bat and get the next pitch. Often times he would have a really bad swing and the next pitch he would hit a rocket up the middle, so I am trying to incorporate that into my game.
You hit your first varsity home run during the Jaguars’ 10-4 loss at Waukee on May 20. Did you know right away when you connected that the ball would be out of the park?
I knew I hit it hard, but I didn’t know for sure. Luckily, my teammates got on base ahead of me, which allowed the home run to bring us back into the game. I was just looking to do damage that at bat and was really focused on doing a job and getting a run or two in.
Your teammate, Joey Oakie, tossed a three-hitter and had 16 strikeouts in a 4-0 win at No. 8 Dowling Catholic on Tuesday. Do you think that was the best game you’ve seen him pitch?
It was the best game I’ve seen him pitch for sure. They had a lot of good hitters, and his mix and location allowed for him to be so successful that game.
Joey credited you afterwards for calling a great game. So do you call all of his pitches?
I do call all of Joey’s pitches. We have been working together all offseason, and we often talk about how we want to pitch certain batters before the game. So we sort of know how we want to start out certain batters and what pitches we want to throw at certain times in the counts to get the batter thinking.
How many different pitches does he throw, and do you try to mix things up quite a bit? Or do you lean pretty heavily on his fastball, which has been clocked in the upper 90s?
We most of the time stick with his fastball and slider. He can locate them anywhere I put the glove. He has other pitches, but I like to throw those two mainly because they are so effective together. But he does have a change up and sinker/two-seam we work on in bullpens which can be brought out at any moment this season.
There were numerous MLB scouts in the crowd to watch Joey and Dowling pitcher Trever Baumler, who had eight strikeouts of his own over the first five innings. What did you think about Baumler’s repertoire of pitches?
I have seen Baumler a few times now, and the thing that stands out to me most is he has very good control and he will freeze you with his curve at any moment. He finds your weakness and attacks it which makes him so dominant and not to mention he has some zip on his fastball which misses a lot of barrels and gets the batter thinking.
Joey gets most of the publicity, but your team has some other outstanding pitchers as well, including fellow senior Sean Stewart–who had 10 strikeouts on Thursday in the Jaguars’ 8-3 win at No. 4 Dallas Center-Grimes. What pitches were working for Sean in that game?
Yeah, our whole pitching staff has really been looking good so far. Sean really had his two-seam and slider working that night and with two pitches moving in opposite directions it’s tough on a hitter. He was also able to execute in crunch time situations which is very important as a pitcher.
Your team will host No. 1 Johnston in a huge conference doubleheader on Monday. Have those games been circled on your calendar for awhile?
We definitely have our hands full. They are a talented team with good hitters.
The two-time defending state champion Dragons have won 22 straight games dating back to last season. Do you feel like it’s important to win at least one of the games–just to prove to yourselves and to the Dragons that you can compete with them?
I’m not as worried about the scoreboard. Though it would be nice to win both, I’m looking more for our team to make improvements and to get better over the year. This early in the year you can’t just focus on the scoreboard. You have to think more about if the team is improving because you want to go on an upward climb and peak through substate and the state tournament.
You have committed to play for Northeast Community College. What did you like about Northeast?
The main thing I really liked about Northeast is that they have a small roster so everyone who is brought in is expected to play. Also, coach (Marcus) Clapp has a long winning history with the program which he started up eight years ago. I think it’s very impressive that such a young program has had so much success. Also, assistant coach (Matt) Jones was very likable and was very happy to show me around campus and answer all my questions and was just a super hospitable person.
