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K.J. Pilcher |
CEDAR RAPIDS — Baseball has played a major role in Spencer Van Scoyoc’s life.
The family tradition is well known. His grandfather, Jim Van Scoyoc is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, leading Norway to seven state titles and winning 850 games. His dad, Aaron Van Scoyoc, competed in college, getting drafted by the New York Yankees in 1989.
The sport grabbed hold from his first memories at age 5, playing stickball with other kids beyond the right-field fence of the Norway field during his father’s Iowa Valley League games.
“Baseball is everything to me and it’s been that way in my family for a long time now,” Van Scoyoc said. “Pretty much everything we do revolves around it.”
The Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior has added to the family legacy, developing into one of the best baseball players in the state and even the country. The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder begins his final campaign with the J-Hawks as a second-team preseason All-American selection by Rawlings, kicking off the regular season when the J-Hawks host Cedar Rapids Prairie Monday night at 7 in the first round of the Bob Vrbicek Metro Baseball tournament. Action begins at 5 p.m. at both Jefferson and Cornell’s Ash Park in Mount Vernon.
Jefferson Coach Kyle Rodenkirk played in that baseball league more than a decade ago. He recognized the early talent and witnessed the progress.
“I remember playing pepper with him,” Rodenkirk said. “It’s cool to actually coach him and see him grow and mature as a young man. I knew he was going to be good when he was younger but there are so many things in this world that can sway kids to not go out for sports.”
As prevalent as baseball is, Van Scoyoc is not one-dimensional. He graduated with a grade-point average around the 4.0 mark, according to Rodenkirk. When not on the diamond honing his craft, Van Scoyoc likes to get away for some fishing at the pond of J-Hawk assistant coach Gordy Nordgren.
“I’ve actually done a lot of that this spring,” Van Scoyoc said. “It’s just something you can go and get your mind off baseball and everything that is going on and sit there and relax.”
It doesn’t take long for his good-natured competitive streak to emerge when he learns Rodenkirk hinted it was good Van Scoyoc was better at baseball than fishing.
“He’s never seen me fish,” Van Scoyoc said with a laugh. “I can out-fish everybody when they go out there.”
Van Scoyoc has proved he can outhit and outpitch the competition. He batted .407 last season, tallying 37 hits in just 30 games and smacking 16 doubles, a triple and two home runs. Van Scoyoc posted a 5-1 record on the mound, including 44 strikeouts in just 33 innings pitched. He had a 0.64 earned-run average, holding opponents to a .127 batting average.
Interestingly, the impact was even felt when he was gone for more than a week last season with USA Baseball and Jefferson won all but one game during the stretch.
“He helps us win but we can win on our own and he has brought that to our team as well,” Rodenkirk said. “He has a great head on his shoulders. He leads by example. He is a top-notch person.”
Van Scoyoc has signed to play at Arizona State, which is interested in utilizing his bat in the lineup between pitching performances. He said he could get the occasional start at first base, despite serving as a staple in Jefferson’s outfield. The time spent since last season has been dedicated to throwing.
“I think the biggest stride is my pitching,” said Van Scoyoc, who has a fastball clocked as high as 92 miles per hour. “I’ve gotten a lot stronger over the off-season and just focused on my mechanics, perfecting my pitches.
“Pitching is the biggest improvement of my game.”
As a two-time all-state pick by the Iowa Newspaper Association, Super team all-state pick by the IHSBCA and a commit to NCAA Division I baseball power, Van Scoyoc has every right to demand attention. Rodenkirk said the exact opposite is true and that emanates from family as well.
“My dad always told me no matter where you are don’t forget where you came from,” Van Scoyoc said. “You know you’re not above anybody else because you’re good at a sport. It’s just about being a good person.”
Now, Van Scoyoc gets to share his passion for baseball for one more season with his brother, Connor, a sophomore on the team. Rodenkirk said there is no mistaking his passion for the game, which is no doubt in his blood.
“He comes and leaves the ballpark always with a smile on his face,” Rodenkirk said. “He’s a really fun kid to have around and it’s contagious on the team, too, because the other kids see that and it brings a positive atmosphere to the program.”
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