‘Lasch Smash’ Has Given Loyola Academy a Boost Down the Stretch
Loyola Academy head coach Chris Ackels didn’t expect sophomore Connor Lasch to be playing varsity this season. Neither did Lasch, who didn’t get to play a pitch of high school baseball last year because of COVID-19.
They both surprised each other.
Lasch, who started the season on the Ramblers’ JV roster, was promoted to varsity midseason. Ackels recited the conversation with his JV staff.
“I asked who’s playing well,” the second-year head coach recounted. ‘I don’t really care what position they play. Who’s playing well?’ And Connor was the easy number one on that list.
“We didn’t know this was coming. But he earned his way.”
Lasch was called up on May 10 for Loyola’s game against Brother Rice, a program that entered the year second in Prep Baseball Report’s Preseason Power 25 and boasts 14 players who are ranked prospects in the 2021, 2022, or 2023 Illinois high school classes, according to PBR.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Lasch said. “You just have to go out there and try your best and see what happens.”
Lasch didn’t record a hit, but he did reach on an error and, more importantly, he held down the fort behind the plate, even corralling a pop up in foul territory.
Lasch said that catching up to the velocity of varsity pitching wasn’t easy. Still, he made the adjustment much quicker than most players his age, according to Ackels. Lasch broke out offensively against Marmion Academy when he went 3-for-4 with four RBI.
A week later against Chicago Mt. Carmel, he ripped a double to center field off Julien Hachem, a 6-foot-8 Oklahoma commit whose fastball flirts with 90 miles per hour, per PBR. That extra base hit from Lasch was the start of a six-run third inning for the Ramblers, who staked themselves to a 7–1 lead on the road but ultimately fell to their conference foe, 11–10, in extras.
“When you have a bat like that, you find somewhere to put him on the field,” Ackels said.
It’s been a steady climb for Lasch, who has spent time not only at catcher — giving captain Declan Dunham a few much-needed rest days — but also at the corners. The sophomore reached his latest milestone on Tuesday afternoon.
In the third inning against Maine West, Lasch turned the game loose with a three-run homer. He planted his foot down, waited on an inside curveball, and deposited the ball over the left-center fence.
Two innings earlier, he used a bloop single to score a pair of runs. His five-RBI performance was the highlight of a four-inning, 16–1 blowout.
“Lasch is a special dude,” senior teammate Charley Radtke said. “He’s going to help the program for the next three years. He’s certainly helped us this year in the couple games he’s been with us. And he’s earned the nickname ‘Lasch Smash.’ He hits the crap out of the ball. I love having him here.”
Ackels said that he plans to have Lasch in the lineup for the rest of the season. He needs the sophomore, especially after another starter — Max Sawyer — went down for the year last week.
Lasch, batting .273 in his first seven games, is enjoying an experience he didn’t see coming and riding the momentum of a Loyola (14–11) team that has now won six of its last seven games.
“It’s a good time to get into this groove, especially before the playoffs,” Lasch said. “It’s a great time to be hot.”
