DANVILLE — Manager Eric Coleman knew he was getting a good player in Graham Mastros from St. Louis University.
The freshman from New Trier High School actually started 44 games this past spring for the Billikens, hitting .256 with five homers and 23 RBIs.
He hasn’t missed a beat during his first week in the Prospect League for the Danville Dans.
Mastros is leading the league with a .500 batting average (8-of-16) with a home run, eight RBIs and two stolen bases and on Sunday, he was 3-for-5 with that first summer home run, it was also the team’s first homer, and four RBIs as the Dans defeated the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 11-6.
“The kid can flat-out play,’’ Danville manager Eric Coleman said. “That’s why St. Louis sent him to us this summer. He got 160 at-bats this spring and he started a lot of games for them. He is going to be a big part of their future, along with Brenden Stressler.
“Hopefully, we can get him better this summer, so that he can go back and be an even bigger part of the SLU baseball program.’’
Mastros showed his versatility on Sunday, leading off the game with a single and while he has two stolen bases this season, he was cut down at home on a double steal attempt with right fielder Michael Ryan.
While the Dans (4-1) failed to score in that opening frame, Mastros played a big role in his team’s five-run second inning.
Danville had tied the game at 2-2 on a two-run double from catcher Owen Anderson. After a walk to Darry Dilworth III, Mastros blasted a 3-run homer over the left-field fence, giving the Dans a 5-2 lead.
“It’s been super fun, meeting the new guys,’’ Mastros said about his first week in Danville. “You can do whatever you want as long as you have a good mindset. I’m embracing being here and meeting new people. It’s also important to be open to new things and try different styles of playing.’’
But, what has been his key to great start to the summer?
“Being myself,’’ he said. “Not getting too big and trusting that I’ve done it before.’’
And what about the rest of the season?
“Staying confident having a good mindset,’’ he said.
The Dans would add a single run in the third, three in the fourth and two more in the fifth for it’s first double-digit run output of the summer.
“Fortunately, we had double-digit runs and double-digit hits,’’ said Coleman, noting that five Danville pitchers combined to walk 13 and hit two batters. “We have a good chance to win when we do that.’’
But, all of those free bases is still a concern for the 11th year manager of the Dans.
“We didn’t pitch in the zone,’’ he said. “That’s something we are going to need to do a better job with in the future. We have to compete in the zone and throw strikes.’’
All in all, Coleman is still very pleased with a 4-1 record in the opening week with Saturday’s game with Terre Haute rained out and rescheduled as a doubleheader on Tuesday, June 18.
“A little bit of everything, as always in the first week,’’ Coleman said. “It was good week, but we still have a lot of work to do with a lot of stuff to get cleaned up.
“I like where we are heading. We are headed in the right direction. We will enjoy a day off and get ready for a big crowd on Tuesday night.’’
The Dans will welcome the Lafayette Aviators to Danville Stadium tonight. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and it’s a Two-Buck Tuesday with $2 assorted beverages and admission is just $3.
Other offensive standouts on Sunday for Danville include Ryan, who went 2-for-3, Sebastian Arguelles (2-for-4) and Nolan Farley (2-for-4).