Krolikowski learns to keep his cool

It's a good thing for another overflow Batavia crowd - they put St. Charles North athletic director John Rutter to work finding parking for all of them - that they watched Brian Krolikowski the senior pitch Saturday and not Brian Krolikowski the sophomore.

That's because Krolikowski himself said that two years ago, the 6-4 victory over Wheaton North that made all those Bulldog fans so happy would not have happened.

It's one thing to have success when everything comes easy. It's another to show what you've got when the chips are down.

Krolikowski did both Saturday, making a powerful Wheaton North look silly through the first 4 2/3 innings in the Class 4A St. Charles North sectional championship. At that point he had five strikeouts, no walks and had allowed 2 singles.

But the Falcons changed the momentum on 4 pitches - a pair of singles and then Jack DeAno's 3-run home run.

The next batter flew out to end the inning. Two years ago? That batter would have been on first base, and pretty soon Wheaton North would be leading, and pretty soon Krolikowski would have been pulled.

"First guy would have been a walk coming off a home run," Krolikowski said. "I would have been emotionally unstable. I wouldn't have been focusing."

Instead, Krolikowski showed what he has in the most pressure-packed situations, making the key pitches when he had to to leave 3 runners on in the sixth and 2 more in the seventh. That after he did the same thing in a complete game win over Willowbrook last week in the regional finals.

Batavia coach Matt Holm certainly has seen that change in Krolikowski's demeanor.

"That's the biggest accomplishment I think," Holm said. "He was a hothead. Teams knew that they could get him worked up. If a batter comes in and sees you are out of control, they are in control. You have composure, you pitch your game, you stay in control. That's any sport, anything. He's really worked on that and it shows."

And how did Holm get Krolikowski to change?

"A lot of yelling, a lot of private conversations," Holm said.

Ryan Welter has caught Krolikowski for seven years and has observed the same thing Holm has.

"He's just become a more mature player," Welter said. "He's become a lot more level headed. That's just a tribute to how hard he's worked. The past few years he'd show that immaturity on the mound and let that get to him. Our team did a great job picking him up after the home run. He knew we'd get runs for him. He came out and pitched his butt off for us."

Krolikowski finished with a complete game, 107-pitch effort, throwing only 31 balls. He had 6 strikeouts and allowed just 2 walks and 8 hits to a team that entered the game with a .429 on-base percentage. His defense played error-free ball behind him.

And Krolikowski was quick to credit his coach and those teammates for his success.

"Coach Holm has been my mentor for the last three years," Krolikowski said. "That's (handling emotions) a problem I used to have. If I would have gave up that home run my sophomore year I wouldn't have been able to finish the game. Coach Holm has taught me over the last three years how to present yourself as a man and a baseball player on the mound and keep my composure. If it wasn't for him I would have been out of the game."

Batavia certainly has a lot to celebrate these days, with graduation Friday night. These seniors who graduated, most have known each other nearly their entire lives, which has made the record-setting season that much more fun.

"It's just a great win for the whole community," Krolikowski said. "No matter what happens this season has been such a great memory for pops (Holm's late father Denny) and everything."

jlemon@dailyherald.com