Back in Olney Again, Kirk Continues to Rake

By Michael Stamatos

Jimmy Kirk’s (Millersville) only pregame routine consists of him listening to the same few songs before he leaves his car - “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez, “Crank That (Souja Boy)” by Souja Boy, and Fergie’s “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody”. But when you’re hitting the way Kirk has been, you don’t need an elaborate routine.

This is Kirk’s third summer terrorizing pitchers in the Cal Ripken Senior Collegiate Baseball league. In 2022, he put together a slashline of .349/.469/.571, which included four homers and two doubles. He improved on those numbers last summer, hitting .375/.449/.688 with five homers and five doubles.

So far, Kirk appears to be on pace for his best summer yet for the Cropdusters. Through the first six games, he’s hitting a ridiculous 462/.481/.885, with three home runs, two doubles, and 11 RBIs. His early season success garnered him CRSCBL Week 1 Hitter of the Week honors – his second time earning such an award (Week 3 2023).

“Really excited about the way he's starting,” Cropdusters Head Coach Adam Leader said. “We know he's a great player, which is why we wanted him back, and we feel like he probably came into this situation pretty comfortable also not having to get used to some new stuff, which probably helps a lot as well. But I'm really excited. That's what he's here for - he’s here to hit for us and do well - and we're excited that he's off to a great start and we expect it to continue.”

One of the most interesting things about Kirk’s production is that when playing for Millersville, his numbers don’t remotely resemble the slugger who’s established himself as one of the Cal Ripken Sr. League’s best hitters.

Through 76 games at the D2 level, Kirk owns a .252 average and .838 OPS, with nine total home runs and eight total doubles. Including his numbers this season, in his Cropdusters career (45 games), he has three more home runs, one more double, and more RBIs, all while going up against arguably better competition in the CRSCBL – mostly D1 pitchers, with a mix of D2, D3, and Juco arms.

“I feel really comfortable here,” Kirk said “I really trust the coaches and they always give me great feedback on what I'm doing wrong and what they think I can do better. So I think just the trust level there really helps me and helps with my confidence being down here.”

Kirk says that he’s noticed pitchers trying to attack him differently compared to previous years. He’s seen a lot more offspeed pitches, along with changed locations of fastballs, and he just has to make the adjustment as a hitter.

This year Kirk is working with the whole field – an adjustment that’s paid dividends for him so far. Most of the right-hander’s extra base hits this season have gone to left center and right center field, with two of his three home runs being opposite field shots.

“Just trying to drive everything the other way and some just go further than the others,” Kirk said.

When asked about individual and team goals for the rest of the season, Kirk only had one thing on his mind.

“I’d like to win a championship,” Kirk said. “I feel like we were good enough to win last year, we had a really great team. This year, I think we have an even better team and a really talented group of guys. We all really get along with each other and I think once we put everything together we can do it.”