Following up with leading off...

Blackhawks coach John Reeves: "Brady became our leadoff hitter in the Lockport game. He had been hitting the ball very well down in the order so we decided to try him at the top and see how that would work out. He also was drawing a lot of walks and so we thought that he would get on base for the big hitters."

"Another advantage of moving Brady to the leadoff spot was that he can steal a base for us as well as drop a bunt down for a hit. In the leadoff spot, he would just have more opportunities to get on base so we could drive him in. His on base percentage is pretty high also."

"When we moved Brady to leadoff, we then could slide D.J. (Smith) into a spot in the lineup where he could drive in more runs. He leads our team in home runs with 4 and is hitting around .400 so it would give D.J. more opportunites to drive in some runs. With both of them at the top, Cory Walden and Chris Richter could then drive them both in. Cory and Chris have 22 and 26 RBIs respectively. D.J., Cory, and Chris all have over 20 RBI actually. So moving Brady up helped to jump start our offense."

Kaneland coach Brian Aversa on his leadoff hitter, Jay Levita: "Jay does a great job of making a pitcher show their pick-off move, that is what his and every first baserunner's job is. Jay hits a lot of doubles as well and does a great job of getting into scoring position."

"In our line-up, we love seeing the top of the order come back up because we have power in our 1-7, 9 hitters which just makes it fun for us."

Geneva coach Matt Hahn: " A leadoff hitter is a spark. I don't think there is a cookie-cutter example. Sometimes your best hitter, sometimes fastest. He needs to ignite your offense."

"We have Kevin Massoth, who finds ways to get on base. He maybe doesn't have the highest batting average or the most hits, but finds ways to get on. He has been hit by 10 pitches in 19 games this season."

"A good leadoff hitter can be a nightmare for an opposing coach. If it is a guy that gets on base alot, you can run, bunt, hit and run or do any variety of things."