Helisek

RADNOR, Delaware County — It's as if Kyle Helisek never left high school, for his success hasn't missed a beat.

The 2008 Seneca Valley graduate is now a freshman starting pitcher on Villanova University's baseball team.

So far this season, he has compiled a 4-1 record with 29 strikeouts and 16 walks.

Helisek's earned run average stands at 5.05, but it's inflated after the first start of his collegiate career came against NCAA powerhouse Louisiana State Feb. 22.

Seven of his 12 appearances have been starts, with his best outing coming when he struck out six, walked none and gave up one earned run in an 8-1 victory against Lehigh April 7.

A key for any pitcher is keeping the ball in the yard, and through 51 2/3 innings, Helisek has given up only two home runs.

"The thing with Coach (Joe) Godri, he doesn't care if you're a freshman or a senior," Helisek said of the Wildcats' head coach. "What matters to him is getting people out."

Godri has liked what he's seen out of Helisek so far.

"Kyle's a (left-hander) and that helps," he said. "He's got pretty good command, and then there's the intangible he has of going out and getting the job done. He's a guy who just wins."

Helisek did a lot of that at Seneca Valley, going a combined 13-1 during his junior and senior seasons and playing a key role in the team's PIAA Quad A title run in June 2007.

Last fall, he opened some eyes at Villanova's annual Blue-White World Series, a best-of-three intrasquad battle that marks the end of the fall practice season.

"I pitched the first game, did really well and we won," said Helisek. "My team ended up losing the next two games, but I soon found out that I would be in the starting rotation."

"We sometimes use a fifth starter, and that's where we thought Kyle would be," said Godri. "But then, during winter workouts, the other coaches and I agreed we would move him up to No. 4 and that's where he's been most of the year."

Helisek's success is due in large part to his ability to throw several pitches with confidence.

"I go back and forth between a two-seam and four-seam fastball," he said. "I also throw a curveball, changeup, and, every once in a while, I'll mix in a slider to a right-handed batter.

"My changeup is my out pitch," he added.

Also contributing to Helisek's freshman campaign is Wildcats pitching coach, Jim Carone.

"He's been a good influence on me," said Helisek, a finance major. "He works with me on my pitches and my mechanics.

"He calls every game I pitch, so I don't have to worry about what to throw to a certain hitter because he does a great job of scouting our opponents."

Villanova (19-24 overall) has struggled against Big East Conference opponents, but Helisek hopes to help change that when 2010 rolls around.

"I just want to keep pitching well and stay in the starting rotation," he said. "I'm off to a good start."