First Posted: 5/5/2015
Not even in Little League was Josh Savakinus able to accomplish what he did a few weeks back.
A senior on La Salle University’s baseball team, Savakinus was named the Atlantic 10 and the Big 5 Player of the Week for his performances in the last week of April. Savakinus plays second base for the Explorers, who are currently on the brink of playoff contention.
Savakinus, a 2011 Pittston Area graduate, went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in a 13-5 win over Richmond. That’s a feat that he, nor head coach Michael Lake, has ever seen.
“I didn’t even do that in Little League,” Savakinus said. “It seemed like whatever they threw as me I saw it well and was able to drive it. I had good at-bats in that series.”
Lake was impressed, especially for doing it at the NCAA Division 1 level.
“That’s a pretty stellar day,” Lake said. “He just saw it really well. The ball looked like a softball. Somedays it looks like a golf ball.”
Savakinus added two more RBI in the series to give him 10 in a three-game span.
With two weekend series left for the Explorers, Savakinus is hitting at a .291 clip and currently ranks 11th in the nation in doubles with 20. Those 20 doubles lead the Atlantic 10. He’s belted four home runs and drove in 25 runs for La Salle. His 35 runs scored rank 13 in the A-10.
“He’s always been a kid that loves the game and took pride in his approach at the plate,” Lake said. “He worked hard and he cares about himself academically.”
Savakinus currently ranks 11 in the A-10 in total bases with 88 and 12th in walks with 25.
“I just try and make a good approach,” he said. “If it happens to go into the gap then that’s great. I usually don’t tend to pull the ball. Wherever it’s thrown I’ll take it that way.”
Currently, the Explorers sit at .500 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They are tied with George Mason and UMass for the seventh and final spot.
“We wouldn’t be in the thick of it right now without him,” Lake said. “Between his extra base hits and his RBIs it’s been impressive. He’s been very good with men on base.”
Although Savakinus’ numbers are up, there were times this season he struggled to find the holes in the defense.
At the end of March, Savakinus was hitting just .226. Since then, however, he’s raised his average almost 70 points and began to string together multi-hit games more often than not.
“That was a pretty frustrating time,” he said. “I was hitting right at them. I just stuck to my approach and tried to help the team any way I could.”
Savakinus spent his first two collegiate years at Lackawanna College. There, he started at second base in his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2012, Savakinus hit .380 with two home runs and 35 RBI. He was an all-region selection and reached the Junior College World Series with the Falcons.
In 2013, Savakinus hit .365 with 31 RBI and 23 doubles. The Falcons also reached the World Series that season.
When his two years in junior college were finished, Savakinus had offers from University of Indiana and Pittsburgh University. He felt it was necessary to stay close to home.
“I had to start really thinking about where I wanted to play,” he said. “I knew I had some school looking at me but I felt like it was more important to stay home. Having my family be able to come out and watch played a big role in my decision.”
La Salle University is located in Philadelphia.
Savakinus turned in one of the most impressive high school seasons in the history of Pittston Area. In his senior season, Savakinus batted .545 with five home runs and 29 RBI. He was named the Wyoming Valley Conference Player of the Year runner-up. He was first-team all-conference, and was a second team all-state selection.
For the past four years, Savakinus has been studying business and accounting. He hopes to break into forensics accounting once he’s finished at La Salle. He is the son of Teri Savakinus, Pittston.
