UNIVERSITY CENTER, MI – Hayden Jatczak is a multi-faceted hitter.
And he covered every facet in one magical ballgame.
The Bay City Central graduate delivered a dream game for the Saginaw Valley State University baseball team, hitting for the cycle to power the Cardinals to a 16-10 victory over Quincy University on Saturday.
Jatczak stroked a single, double, triple and home run, running the gamut of hits to give the Cardinals a split in the non-league doubleheader.
“That was a nice win for us and he was a big part of it,” SVSU coach Steve Jaksa said. “I think he had two or three strikeouts in the first game and he felt like he wanted to make a difference – and he did in a big way.”
The GLIAC Freshman of the Year a season ago, Jatczak has followed up with another strong season at the plate. He leads SVSU with a .375 average, 42 runs, 60 hits, five triples and 43 RBIs. He is also among team leaders with 11 doubles and four home runs.
“He’s stayed in that three hole and stayed productive,” Jaksa said. “He knows the importance of keeping a good approach… and he’s getting opportunities to have big games.”
Few come bigger than this one. After dropping the opener 4-1 – with Jatczak going hitless at the plate and taking the loss on the mound – the sophomore seemed determined to make amends in the nightcap.
He went 4-for-5 with 10 total bases, three runs scored and seven RBIs. Jatczak set an instant tone for the Cardinals, blasting a three-run home run in the top of the first inning. He followed with a bases-loaded triple in the fourth, a double in the seventh and an RBI single in the eighth.
His home run came on a 3-0 count where Jaksa gave him the OK to swing away.
“Certain guys in certain situations get the green light, and he’s one of those guys,” Jaksa said. “He had seen a couple fastballs already, so that was a good spot for him. We talk to them about not getting too antsy in that situation, because it’s a situation when you can make a difference in the game.”
There are no SVSU records on hitting for the cycle, but in Major League Baseball it’s a feat that is nearly as rare as throwing a no-hitter. There have been 315 all-time no-hitters in the big leagues and 334 cycles.
Jatczak’s performance highlighted a 21-hit game for the SVSU lineup, which included three hits from Standish-Sterling product Reed Raymond. Cass City grad Kendall Anthes recorded the win on the mound.
But the star of the day was clearly Jatczak, the 2019 MLive Bay City Dream Teamer who missed out on his senior season at Bay City Central due to the coronavirus shutdown.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound infielder and pitcher leads SVSU (19-24, 8-12) into its home finale against Concordia at 2:05 p.m. Tuesday. The Cardinals close out the regular season with a four-game Friday-Sunday at Northwood University, a rematch of last year’s epic series.
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