Nykoluk at Home Around the Plate : Simi Valley’s Talented Hitter Makes Himself Into a Catcher

Phoom! Slap! Phoom! Slap!

Long after closing time at the Bat-R-Up batting cage in Camarillo, Kevin Nykoluk is working overtime on his swing, slapping plastic baseballs in every direction.

One after another, yellow comets come firing out of a machine 40 feet in front of Nykoluk, whose 33-inch aluminum bat punishes virtually every one.

Phoom! Slap!

Lots of cuts. Right-handed, left-handed, left field, right field. For Nykoluk, who works evenings and weekends at the batting cage, it’s all part of a typical day at the office: The whistle blows, the doors close, then three hours of overtime spent on batting practice.

“He’ll stay for hours after I go home,” says Johnna Mike, a co-worker and catcher for the Camarillo High softball team.

“He starts with slow (pitches), then works up to medium, then fast. It would be really tiring for me. I guess not for him.”

Nykoluk pauses, just long enough to reset the machine. “It’s here,” he says, simply. “Why not take advantage of it?”

Talk about a can of corn. The hours are flexible, the boss is a good guy and the job suits his interests. “Besides,” Nykoluk says, “I’d be here anyway.”

Nykoluk (5-feet-11, 175 pounds), Cal-Hi Sports’ sophomore and junior player of the year as an outfielder, moved this season to catcher for the Simi Valley High baseball team, an outfit that operates a little like Nykoluk in the cage.

One by one, like the yellow plastic balls, the Pioneers (21-2), ranked second nationally by USA Today, have swatted aside virtually all comers, most by ridiculously lopsided scores.

Taking healthy cuts along with the rest is Nykoluk, the team’s cleanup hitter turned field general.

Entering the week, Nykoluk was batting .463 with four home runs and 31 runs batted in. He hit his fifth home run, a solo shot, in Wednesday’s 11-4 victory over Agoura.

“It’s been kind of boring,” Nykoluk said. “I’m not going to say the other teams are not very good, but the quality of baseball (in the league) has gone down.”

On Friday, the Pioneers (11-0 in Marmonte League play) will play host to Newbury Park (15-7, 10-1) with first place at stake. While most of his teammates might be tempted to view the season as one big round of batting practice, Nykoluk has been kept on his toes--actually, on his knees--learning his new craft.

Days before the season opener, Jason Houchen, the team’s starting catcher, was sidelined because of a knee injury that required surgery.

Nykoluk, who played catcher in youth leagues, was the only logical replacement.

“I wasn’t so sure about this at first,” he said.

“But I knew I had good baseball instincts and I didn’t care where I played as long as we won. There is just so much more to do than (there is) playing center field. I used to just sit back and worry about hitting. Now, I’m thinking all the time, no matter what. I go home and I’m exhausted.”

Most days are back-breakers. During much of the time Nykoluk spends in the batting cage, he isn’t carrying a bat. Instead, he is wearing shin guards, a chest protector and mask. With his hands folded behind his back and the machine firing balls just a few feet before the plate, he works on blocking balls in the dirt with his torso.

Securing extra time in the cage is no problem. Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers is part owner of the batting cage--making him Nykoluk’s boss on and off the field. However, Nykoluk spends most of his time in the cage with assistant coach Dave Taylor.

Taylor, a 1982 Rio Mesa graduate and catcher for Arizona in 1985 and ‘86, joined the Pioneers this season. The off-the-chest-protector drill, Taylor said, is standard for any catching prospect.

“I throw him 150-200 balls a few times a week,” Taylor said. “He needs to work on his feet a little bit, but he’s loosened up a lot more and he looks good. Recently, in the last two weeks, you can really notice the improvement. You gotta be a good athlete to go from outfield to catcher. It takes a good Joe to go back there and do the job he’s done.”

Among the abounding responsibilities is handling a trio of hard-throwing, sometimes hard-headed right-handers. Seniors Trevor Leppard and Bill Treadway and junior Bill Scheffels not only differ in style but in their attitudes regarding a catcher’s visit to the mound.

Deciding just when to take that walk has been a toughie.

“You have to be careful because Leppard and Treadway have tempers,” Nykoluk said. “Not really bad tempers. . . . but Leppard, you can’t yell at him because he gets too mad or he won’t concentrate. Treadway, if you get him mad, he really pitches his best. And Scheffels, you don’t have to say too much to Scheffels.

“It really bugs me when they’re wild or when they get over-emotional with the umpire. But I know them all pretty well. We’ve been friends a long time.”

Could be that all this added responsibility has caused Nykoluk to sacrifice a little attention to details concerning himself. Although Nykoluk insists playing catcher has not caused any distractions, Taylor has at least cautioned him on the matter.

“We’ve talked about how he needs to separate his offense from his defense,” Taylor said. “If you strike out on a curveball, you can go out in the field for two innings and think about it. As a catcher, he can’t do that.”

Nykoluk’s numbers are solid, though his home runs are down from the last two seasons. But he’s starting to hit for power again, belting two homers last week in a 17-5 rout of Thousand Oaks.

Last season, he hit 10 home runs to go with 29 RBIs and a .422 batting average. As a sophomore, Nykoluk batted .400 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.

“I’m still hitting the ball,” he said. “I’m just not hitting it over the fence. I don’t want to be making any excuses, but there is just so much more to think about.”

Nykoluk has more than measured up. Although the team’s defensive statistics are not tallied, Taylor estimates Nykoluk has thrown out more than 70% of baserunners attempting to steal.

A good indicator: Nykoluk is the only catcher this season to throw out speedy Jamal Nichols of Thousand Oaks. Nichols has stolen 29 bases in 30 attempts.

“The scouts I’ve talked to say he looks real raw back there, but he just needs some more games,” Taylor said. “I’m kind of biased, but I think he could play at a Division I school. He receives well and he can throw with anybody. And he’s going to hit wherever he goes.”

Right now, that destination is unknown. Arizona State is the only Division I school that appears seriously interested. Professional scouts come and go, but Nykoluk is unsure what notes they have made.

He does know that he wants to play baseball for a living. And his baseball instincts tell him his best chance at earning that paycheck is by playing behind the plate.

“The pros are always looking for catchers, especially a catcher who can hit,” he said. “A catcher who hits .220 or .230 in the major leagues is an all-star catcher. If I stayed in the outfield, I’d have to hit 40 home runs or steal 40 bases and there’s no way I’ll do that.

“I want to be a catcher.”