Being a leadoff hitter has its disadvantages.

He's the first player who has to get a handle on where the pitcher's breaking ball breaks, how fast the ball is moving and what the umpire considers a ball or strike.

None of that fazes Genoa senior Seth Dufendock, who is making life miserable for opposing pitchers.

“I was a leadoff hitter in the seventh and eighth grade and I loved it,” Dufendock said. “I wanted to help my team out as much as I could. I used to tell my teammates how the pitcher's throwing the ball. It's easy for me to pick up on how a pitcher's throwing his curveball, like how he holds the ball in his glove and things like that.”

Seth Dufendock may be batting .436 but his fielding 'ain't bad either.' Here he is diving to catch a line drive. (Press photo by Harold Hamilton /HEHphotos.lifepics.com)

Through 16 games, the Comets' leadoff hitter and starting outfielder was batting .436 with three doubles, 12 runs and six RBI. He was also 14-for-14 in stolen bases.

“He's got a great sense at the plate, great baseball instincts,” Genoa coach Dan Thompson said. “He takes a lot of pitches and fouls a lot of pitches off, so our hitters get to see a lot of pitches. He gets on base a lot and once he gets on base, he steals a lot of bases. We just try to maximize his overall plate appearances. He's our best hitter.”

Last season Dufendock, a four-year starter, batted fourth in the lineup behind No. 3 hitter Greg Hillabrand.

“I didn't like that too much,” Dufendock admitted. “I like to get on and steal and make good RBI opportunities for my team. As a cleanup hitter I felt I had to hit for power and drive in runs. I'm more of a contact hitter - put the ball in play and make the defense make plays.”

Thompson said one reason he put Dufendock in the No. 4 spot last season was to make sure Hillabrand got good pitches to hit.

“I put him there to protect Greg, but Seth got in that mode of trying to hit it out of the park a lot and hit into the gaps,” Thompson said. “This year he's a good line-drive hitter. He takes it up the middle and he's hitting line drives. This year he's not trying to kill it. He's just trying to be a good contact hitter.”

Dufendock, who has only struck out three times in 55 plate appearances this season, said he's had a disdain for strikeouts ever since he was 10 years old. He recalled his three strikeouts this season as coming against Eastwood, Elmwood and Gibsonburg.

“I do not like striking out at all,” Dufendock said. “If I do strike out, it's because the pitcher really fooled me or he just threw a good pitch. I'm a really relaxed player. I don't think about the game too much when I'm hitting. I can have a conversation with one of my teammates while I'm hitting. When I try to think too much, that's when I get in trouble.”

The Comets have six seniors but they are young in some key positions, and Thompson said their record reflects that. Genoa (9-7, 5-1 Suburban Lakes League) played a difficult non-league schedule that included Perrysburg, Northwood, Toledo Christian, Oak Harbor, Fostoria and Delta.

“We go through growing pains every now and then,” Thompson said. “When we show up to play ball, we're a pretty good ball club. There are just some days where we don't show up and we make errors, and things get away from us very quickly.”

Senior center fielder/pitcher Garrett Scott leads Genoa with a .470 average, with two home runs, one triple, four doubles, eight runs and 12 RBI. On the mound he is 2-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

“He's been on fire lately,” Thompson said. “He injured his knee in wrestling and didn't even play in our first five games. He was a DH the first three games he came back.”

Seth McWatters, a senior outfielder/pitcher, is hitting .421 with 11 runs, 14 RBI and one homer.

“McWatters is our No. 2 hitter and he is very disciplined,” Thompson said. “We can do a lot of hit-and-runs because he understands the game. He's a left-handed hitter and a good pull hitter, but he can go the opposite way. He's one of our most instinctive hitters.”

Senior pitcher/first baseman Luke Sutter (6-2, 5.21 ERA) lead the team in wins, while senior outfielder Matt Murphy is batting .333.

“Luke had a couple of rough outings early in the year, against Northwood and Perrysburg,” Thompson said. “He struggled early, but he's pitched very well in his six wins. Take those two games out of his stats, he's probably right around a 2.00 ERA.

“Murphy is coming on as a hitter and he's playing real good defense for us. He covers a lot of ground and has improved his defense tremendously this year. We're very pleased with his performance.”

Junior pitcher Trevor McLear threw a complete-game four-hitter in the Comets' 4-0 win over Delta earlier this season.

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