Hot-hitting Jackson From leads Wheaton Academy past Marian Central

WOODSTOCK – Not long ago, Wheaton Academy junior Jackson From was hitting line drives off pitchers and smacking baseballs all over the diamond.

And he was hitting into outs.

Convenient caroms and diving gems by infielders kept foiling From.

“He went through a spell where he could not buy a hit,” Warriors coach Justin Swider said.

No longer.

From went 5 for 5 with three long doubles and three RBIs on Tuesday, as Wheaton Academy beat Marian Central 11-3 in a Chicagoland Christian Conference game. From homered at home Monday against Marian, his third of the season.

“He’s kept his head up and stayed consistent, and it’s paying off,” Swider said after his Warriors improved to 13-10, 8-2 in the CCC with their sixth win in a row. “He’s been hitting the ball hard, and it’s starting to fall for him now.”

The Warriors’ top three hitters dominated, as Dom Murrell (3 for 4), Brandon Kiebles (3 for 4) and From combined for 11 of their team’s 16 hits. Kiebles’ two-run homer in the first inning off Hurricanes starter Adam Wrzos started the scoring.

“I’m getting better luck now,” said From, who started at shortstop. “The last couple of weeks guys at the top of the order and throughout the lineup have been hitting really well and getting me better pitches. Everybody around me has been super hot. I’m seeing the ball really well right now.”

From hit the ball so well against Marian (7-17, 5-6) that all three of his doubles almost carried over the fence. After reaching on an infield single in the first, the second-year varsity starter doubled deep to center field in the third, hit the ball to almost the same spot in the fifth and drove a ball to the left-field fence in the sixth. He singled to left in the seventh.

“I’ll tease him,” said Swider, who knows From’s physical strength and competitiveness well since From plays linebacker for the football team, whose defensive coordinator is Swider. “We got a short porch at our place in left, so he probably would have had three home runs.”

From had the same thought as his coach.

“I thought the first two to center had a chance,” he said. “I just had to stay up the middle.”

Marian starter Wrzos pitched four-plus innings, departing after allowing three straight doubles and with the visitors ahead 5-2.

“He’s been super good this year,” said Hurricanes assistant coach and Marian Central alumnus Sean Pruss. “He’s definitely had his moments. Today was a rough one, but it happens. It’s just how you bounce back from it.”

Wrzos and Mason Graf were the only two seniors in Marian’s starting lineup. Staying positive, despite the won-lost record, will be key for the Hurricanes going forward. They won only 11 games, including one in conference, last year but advanced to a Class 2A regional final thanks to two postseason wins.

“It’s building a lot of character for us as a team, moving forward toward the playoffs, especially the adversity we go through,” Hurricanes junior second baseman Jackson Hatfield said. “We’re a really young team, so I feel like that also prepares us a lot for next year. Last year we made it to the regional championship, and we return a lot of those pieces.”

Wheaton Academy senior lefty Carson Miller went the distance, allowing 10 hits, while not walking a batter and striking out five.

“I thought he handled things great,” Swider said. “He never let the situation get to him. He stayed positive and kept attacking the zone, and we made the plays when we needed to.”

Marian got 2-for-3 efforts from Graf, TJ Cutrona and Jaxson Christensen. Graf and Owen Neuzil (RBI) doubled. Wrzos and Colin Kowalsky each had an RBI single.

“We’ve got to find our flow,” Pruss said. “We’re getting in a rhythm, finding out which lineup works and stuff like that. But it’s been good. The camaraderie is coming around.”