Sometimes at the plate, hitters will try to swing for the fences, overthink an at-bat, or try to do something they can’t do. That hasn’t been the case for Jeff Lougee during his time with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.
Lougee has been keeping things simple at the plate so far this summer, and it’s paying dividends for both him and the Harbor Hawks.
While the Hawks haven’t won many games in July, Lougee is certainly not to blame for that. In the Hawks’ most recent loss to the Bourne Braves Wednesday night, Lougee went 2-for-4 with two doubles, 3 RBIs, and a walk. He and Jake Schaffner were the only Hyannis hitters to have a multi-hit day.
Lougee said that keeping things simple is why he had such a productive day at the plate.
“Keeping with my approach. Trusting the guys in front of me and behind me to just get their job done and not try and do too much in any sort of situation,” said Lougee.
Though the Hawks have lost five games in a row entering Thursday’s tilt with the Chatham Anglers, Lougee is on a hot streak at the plate. Against Bourne, he extended his hitting streak to seven games, and he has multiple hits in four of those games.
Lougee explained that he was expecting different pitches in different at-bats, and when he got the pitches he was looking for, he pounced.
“The lefty [Whelan] threw [Gabe] Camacho a lot of sliders, so I was sitting slider that first at-bat,” said Lougee. “When you hit the slider the first at-bat, you come back and you are expecting [the] fastball, so that is what I jumped on.”
Lougee’s hitting streak has raised his batting average to .325, his on-base percentage to .408, and his slugging percentage to .523 through 12 games played. He has six extra-base hits this summer as well, with his two triples putting him in a tie for best in the Cape League alongside Bourne’s Ryker Waite and Harwich’s Niko Brini.
The success Lougee is having is a far cry from the start of his time in Hyannis, when he struggled to gain his footing at the plate at first. Lougee believes the more time he has spent in the Cape has been the biggest factor in his increased success in the batter's box.
“Being out here every day, competing with guys that are really good. Staying in [the lineup] day in and day out, you are going to become more comfortable, and that is what I think has been going on with me recently.”
Manager Mitch Karraker has inserted Lougee in the middle of his lineup lately, as he has hit in the fifth spot in the order in three of his last four games. Karraker believes Lougee’s consistency makes him a threat anywhere in the order, but acknowledged that this is a spot that has been working for him.
“I can put him wherever [in the lineup] and he is going to give us a good at-bat,” said Karraker. “We are trying to figure out what formula works best. We got a lot of new guys, so trying to figure out where they fit into the mold is going to be important over this next week, week and a half. Hopefully, by that time, we have something set to where we feel comfortable where we are going to put guys.”
After a freshman season at Duke University where he didn’t see a lot of playing time, Lougee has consistently been in the Hawks lineup since he arrived at the end of June. He’s making the most of his playing time, and it’s been music to the Hawks’ ears.
Michael Najarian can be reached at mikenajarian379@gmail.com and on X @MichaelNaj3.
