By Don VanderVeen | Advance Newspapers 
on April 28, 2018 11:20 PM

KENTWOOD – East Kentwood baseball player Lorenzo Lopez got the “call up” to the big club earlier this spring, and he's been swinging a hot stick ever since.

Lopez was promoted from the junior-varsity team and immediately established himself as an integral part of East Kentwood's youth movement.

“Lopez has had a great spring so far,” Falcons coach Marty Jackimowicz said. “He has worked his way into the heart of our lineup and has had solid production for our team.”

The 5-10, 150-pound freshman has been swinging the bat like a veteran. Through 12 games, he was batting .370 with seven RBI and five runs scored.

“I have been impressed with his plate appearances,” Jackimowicz said. “He is very aggressive at the plate and really swings with a purpose. It’s impressive to see a freshman facing seniors in the OK Red and not looking like he is intimidated or overmatched.

“Because he is young and aggressive, he does swing at some pitches out of the zone, and that is something he will have to work on over the next few years.”

A converted infielder, Lopez is currently playing in right field for the Falcons.

“He has been learning to play right field since joining the varsity team, after transitioning from the infield earlier this spring with our junior-varsity team,” Jackimowicz said. “He still is learning his responsibilities in right field, and needs to improve with reads off the bat, but overall, he is playing pretty well out there.”

Lopez also has been dabbling with some spot pitching duties in a conference full of sluggers.

“We are trying to get him more comfortable with our defensive plays and overall presence on the mound,” Jackimowicz said. “As his arm strength increases, and he gets more experience over time, we will look to him to take a more significant role for us pitching.”

The Falcons are just 2-10 to start the season, but Jackimowicz acknowledged that is all part of the growing process, especially when playing in a baseball league as strong and deep as the OK Red Conference.

“We are very young this year and we are working hard to be better than where we started,” he said. “Our pitchers need to do a better job at throwing strikes, and we need to limit the errors we are making in the field. Those are the biggest factors contributing to our losses this year.”