Junior Jinx? Hazelwood Central's Harris Struggling

The sports cliché of 'sophomore jinx' has been applied to many baseball players over the years, but for one area player, this reference to a slump has a slightly different twist.

ace Jonathan Harris, who could have been mistaken for the Adam Wainwright of the Suburban North Conference last season as a sophomore, is experiencing a slump in his junior season.

The righthander came into the season as one of the best pitchers around St. Louis after an 8-0 record as a sophomore with a 2.49 earned-run average. He was named the Suburban North Player of the Year, an award usually given to juniors and seniors.

Add his listing in the ESPN Rise magazine baseball edition as one of the top players in Missouri, and one could see reason for concern with his surprising struggles as a junior.

Harris is 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA, and the Hawks are a waterlogged 8-5 thanks to a rain-filled season.

However, there is little reason for concern, coach said. Harris hasn't lost any of the talent he displayed in his sophomore season.

"We had three or four errors behind him when he played Pattonville," Vanatta said. "He gave up nine runs in the first inning against Parkway North, but we didn't play well for him. We haven't played very well when he has pitched. Anytime you throw 30-35 pitches in one inning, you are going to have some problems."

Harris said the weather hasn't helped him prepare for the opposition. When he has been scheduled to start and rain postpones the game, his mental approach is shaken.

"It's been kind of hard this year," Harris said. "We don't have the same type of team like we did last year. Simple mistakes cost us this year. I've struggled at times, but hopefully we are ready to kick into gear."

Vanatta said Harris hasn't lost anything from his breakout season.

"He's just missing on a couple of pitches right now," Vanatta said. "Hopefully, he can get back into form. I'm not worried or concerned. He has got a lot of talent. They know who he is now. He's not a sophomore anymore. We just haven't given him a lot of offensive support."

The current setbacks have not kept college scouts away. Missouri, Illinois State and Arkansas are interested in Harris. And yes, he is going to kick for the football team again in 2011.

"I walked into the coaches' office and told them I wanted to kick again," Harris said. "They were happy."

So much for concerns that Harris might get injured while kicking.

"I am going to enjoy my high school career as much as I can," Harris said. "You only get to play in high school for so long."

Spoken like a guy who is not worried at all about a junior jinx.