Diamond Deep Dive Week 9: Kucherak’s conference breakout needs examining

The LSU Transfer has stepped up under the Big Ten lights.

It has been another up-and-down week for fans of Northwestern baseball. After the heroics of game one against Nebraska, the ‘Cats witnessed a brutal doubleheader against the Cornhuskers. Just as the hopes were down, the midweek matchup proved to be a thriller, capped off by a Jacob Hand home run.

The prevailing theme with this offense has been the progression and unlikely production that Head Coach Ben Greenspan has witnessed. From spray chart power adjustments in the early season production of Bennett Markinson to swing changes over the offseason with Trent Liolios, I’ve covered a fair share of ‘Cats returners. But one newcomer in particular keeps catching my eye as conference play surges forward: Ryan Kucherak.

Alas, being the guy who is always too curious about how these developments take place, it’s time for the namesake of this column, a diamond deep dive into Kucherak’s development.

Power Developments

Ryan Kucherak was a transfer that, quite frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from at the start of the season. It takes serious skill to receive an offer from a powerhouse SEC school like LSU, and Kucherak was ranked just outside of the top 100 shortstops nationally in his high school class, according to Perfect Game. He also attended high school in the baseball hotbed of Chandler, AZ, which is home to spring training games and Arizona Fall League games.

On the other hand, he barely saw the field last season for an LSU team that was just one year removed from a College World Series title under the likes of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. In a 17 PA sample with the Tigers, he slashed .250/.471/.250. While this was an excellent show of patience, simply put, he didn’t notch a single extra-base hit. Similar issues prevailed for Kucherak over the summer, when he notched just a .365 slugging percentage in the Northwoods League. Coming into Evanston, however, he gained 10 pounds, likely in hopes of being a more prolific power threat.

Despite that, it’s safe to say fans may have had concerns when the righty had just one homer and four extra-base hits as the ‘Cats entered their first series of conference play. But once the Big Ten standings were in play, Kucherak turned on the jets. While it’s certainly not unusual for hitters to see higher numbers in conference play, as other members of the team have had, Kucherak’s splits between the conference and non-conference slates have been especially jarring.

In non-conference games, Kucherak hit just .222 with a .702 OPS. In conference games, that OPS has surged to a mark of .959, good for third in the lineup. The key has been that ever-elusive slugging percentage, which jumped from .389 to .639. This is thanks, in large part, to eight home runs, a number only bested by three other Big Ten hitters.

Swing changes

Often, through this analysis, I notice drastic patterns in stance, but in the case of Kucherak, the differences are quite minor. It seems as though bat speed was a major point of focus for him, as he has been able to tap into this power. In analyzing his home runs over the season, it seems in some cases as though his bat is stretching further and further behind him when he follows through on his swing, and he has been able to get to balls faster, getting beaten by fewer pitches.

At times, this has meant ferocious swings that keep his strikeout numbers at relatively similar levels. However, it is typically a given that power hitters strike out more than contact hitters. The fact that Kucherak has been able to increase his power to this degree while also maintaining a relatively similar strikeout rate has been unique to witness and shows a disciplined approach.

His approach also seems to change depending on the moment of the game, which has allowed him to be one of the team’s best hitters in the clutch. In his walk-off double against Illinois on March 21st, for example, an extra-base hit was needed to win against Illinois. Kucherak’s attack angle on that at-bat appeared higher than his approach earlier in the season.

However, this is likely due to factors like influence in the game. With a runner at first and two outs in a tie game, the approach for a hitter is typically to aim for more power on the ball. That being said, Kucherak’s ability to succeed with higher attack angles is a testament to consistent improvement and is clearly reflected in his numbers on the season.

Not getting past him

Kucherak’s defense has also been a point of emphasis, creating a serious threat in the Big Ten. The sophomore has been able to consistently get to balls, showing off his excellent range. This has also been a contributing factor to run reduction and has proved a serious help to many of the ground ball pitchers on Northwestern’s staff.

The defensive runs saved numbers have just gone to further this, as Kucherak has been the Big Ten’s best defensive shortstop at times this season, while also rivaling almost every other shortstop at the D1 level. Watching the sophomore flash the leather continues to make a major impact on this team, in many cases, rivaling his hitting prowess.

PA of the Week: Jacob Hand puts an exclamation point on a budding rivalry

While the aptly nicknamed Cardiac ‘Cats have had many thrillers this season, the midweek matchups with UIC have consistently proven to be some of the closest and most exciting. This week was no different, with Jacob Hand walking it off in the 10th inning to give the ‘Cats a bounceback victory.

Northwestern has its second-to-last home series of the season this weekend. With a plethora of diamond sports action and the weather heating up, it seems to be the perfect weekend for some spring baseball. My advice? Check out a game and enjoy it from the stands, then come back next week to read all the analysis.