Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week: Batavia’s Brandon Oke, baseball, sophomore

Name: Brandon Oke

School: Batavia, sophomore

Sport: Baseball

What he did: Across five games, Oke went 9 for 18 with a double, a home run and 10 RBIs. He had a walk-off hit in the DuKane Conference opener against Lake Park.

Oke was voted the Kane County Chronicle Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

Here is his Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

What was the feeling finding success at the plate?

Oke: I was really happy with it. I made a certain swing adjustment over that weekend, just kind of tinkering my swing, and it clicked in that first game against Lake Park. And that gave me a lot of confidence throughout the rest of the series of just how I carried myself.

You had a walk-off double and three RBIs in that first DuKane Conference game. How’d it feel to start conference play off like that?

Oke: It was pretty awesome. I felt like I took a really good swing and the feeling of ending the game on that note, I went into the next game with a ton of confidence. You’re feeling really good about where your swing’s at and where your game’s at and the future for the rest of that series. It put us in a good position.

You hit your first home run of the season in the final game of the series. What did it feel like getting your first home run of the season?

Oke: It felt good to get the ball in the air, especially on a two-strike swing. I was just telling myself to not guess and just see the ball and react. Sometimes I have a tendency of guessing and freezing up, so I was just telling myself to relax and react to the pitch and, you know, just put a good swing on it.

That hit helped you guys win the series. How’d it feel to win your first conference series of the season?

Oke: Honestly, it was a really big deal to get that first series win and really start on a high note. It means a lot just to be able to help the team win and contribute as much as I can.

You’ve been a starter on the team since your first game. How much do you think you’ve grown as a player since then?

Oke: Last year, early in the season, I struggled a little bit, and I made some adjustments. And toward the end of the season, I started picking up on the speed of the game and hitting a lot better and catching. And so I really was just telling myself that I had to start where I ended and carry that throughout a full season this year. That was really my goal is just to be consistently what I was at the end of the year. And I’m pretty happy with how I’ve started so far.

Do you have any superstitions?

Oke: Nothing too out there. I have to take a certain amount of swings before I get in the box as part of my routine. Back in elementary school, though, my teammate’s dad would bring a little bobblehead of Jobu from “Major League,” and we would all rub it on our bats before the game.