Sunday, Jul. 05, 2009

The best of the metro-east: Opel powered Edwardsville to impressive heights

Dane Opel insists he isn't a power hitter. The statistics say otherwise.

Opel long had cemented his standing as one of the all-time greats to wear an Edwardsville Tigers uniform before hitting a school-record 18 home runs this season. The gifted center fielder, University of Missouri recruit and 41st-round draft pick by the Washington Nationals seemed genuinely floored by the hefty total.

"I was surprised," Opel said. "I never really considered myself as a power hitter. I started hitting a lot of them early then halfway through the season, it hit me that I had a chance at the record."

There was nothing cheap about Opel's dingers, either. There wasn't a fence in the Southwestern Conference that could contain his sweet, left-handed stroke that produced bolts of lighting on a regular basis.

"Of all his home runs, I think there was one ball that barely cleared the fence," said Edwardsville coach Tim Funkhouser. "It didn't matter where we were playing, he had the capability of hitting them out even if the wind was blowing in.

"I told him in the offseason with his swing, he may hit 15 to 20 home runs. He kept telling me 'Coach, I'm not a power hitter.' The year before, he only centered a couple of balls and he still hit nine. This year, he centered the ball more and you saw what happened."

What happened was Opel heaped all kinds of abuse on opposing pitchers. His was the biggest bat in a Tigers' lineup loaded with TNT that produced a school-record 52 home runs, the most in metro-east history.

Edwardsville finished 33-5, winning the ultra-tough SWC with a 12-2 record. The Tigers were beaten by O'Fallon in the Class 4A sectional semifinals.

Opel batted .447 with a team-high 62 RBIs. Of his 51 hits, 28 went for extra bases as he ripped seven doubles and three triples. He also stole 13 bases and scored 50 runs.

For his efforts, area coaches voted Opel the News-Democrat Large-School Co-Player of the Year, an award he shared with O'Fallon catcher Nick Tindall.

Tindall, who was drafted in the 17th round and signed with the Minnesota Twins, fully endorsed the shared honor.

"Dane's a pure hitter and his defense is awesome," Tindall said. "He's just one of those guys that you fear in the lineup. He's a phenomenal player and fun to watch."

Opel credits much of his success to the breakout season of junior third baseman Michael Failoni. Batting cleanup behind Opel, Failoni hit a team-high .487 with 61 RBIs.

"I've always said that without Michael batting behind me, I never would have put up the numbers I had," Opel said. "Teams had to pitch to me. I don't think people were expecting Michael to have the season that he did."

Opel, on the other hand, was expected to have a big season. As a junior, Opel hit .439 with 14 doubles, nine homers and 36 RBIs.

Last summer, he had the distinction of being among an elite group of players invited to participate in the Area Code Games in California, one of the nation's premier prospect events. That produced a gaggle of scouts at most of his games, but Opel handled the attention with aplomb.

"He's been through a lot with his summer travels and playing in front of myriad of scouts," Funkhouser said. "I think he actually thrived on that. He also enjoyed challenges. We talked often about me giving him a challenge, and sure enough, he'd respond to it.

"I thought he worked batting practice better than he ever did this year. He just has a great feel for the game."

Opel carried an 18-game hitting streak into his senior season, one that grew to 27 games before it ended with an 0-for-3 performance on April 15 in a 6-2 victory over DeSmet.

"I saw all the articles about it, but I really didn't follow it that closely," Opel said of the streak. "I wouldn't say it weighed on me by any means. When it did come to an end, there was no relief. I was just mad that I didn't get a hit."

In addition to his hitting exploits, Opel has had no peer defensively in the SWC as an outfielder. He also served as Edwardsville's closer, registering five saves, and made three starts toward the end of the season. Opel was 1-1 on the mound with a 1.46 ERA.

Opel, who is playing summer ball for the Midwest Mules, a select team based out of Litchfield, was the 1,222nd overall pick in the 2009 Major League draft. The Nationals will follow him during the summer and may make him an offer in August.

Opel said he's in a win-win situation. If he doesn't sign, he has a baseball scholarship to Missouri. His father, Brad, played football at Missouri.

"It'll be a late decision this summer, that's even if they offer me anything," Opel said. "It's going to take quite a bit to get me away from Mizzou. I really want to go there. It'll be up to the Nationals if they really want me.

"I've been saying it's a great situation either way, no matter what happens."