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By Will Bredderman
Brooklyn Daily
Cyclones left fielder Stefan Sabol is on a tear — but he wouldn’t even know it if his father hadn’t tipped him off.
The first-year phenom from California’s Orange Coast College went on an 11-game hitting streak from June 25 through July 5 — but he didn’t realize it until he heard from dear old dad.
“I was aware I was seeing the ball well, making good contact,” said the California native, who started his string of successful at bats with a single in the team’s shut out victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades. “It wasn’t till I was talking to my dad and he just said, ‘You’ve got a seven game hitting streak going on,’ that I realized it.”
But Sabol — who sent a fastball over the left-center field wall on July 4 against the Crosscutters for his first minor league home run — said he made sure not to let his success at the plate go to his head.
“It’s in the back of my mind, I’m sure,” Sabol said before last Friday’s game, when his streak came to an end. “But if I get a sac fly or a key walk that gets in a run, I’ll be happy with that.”
Sabol didn’t get a hit that night, but he ended up reaching base on a throwing error and crossing the plate on a wild pitch — helping lift the Clones to a 7–6 victory in the rubber match against the Crosscutters.
Sabol said he never picked up hits in more than four straight games while playing ball in school and wasn’t eying the all-time Mini-Mets record: 17 in a row, set by left fielder Lucas Duda — now a full-grown Met — in 2007.
“I’m just trying to have good at bats, find the holes, and help the team win.”
Record-breaking will have to wait for now, but Cyclones skipper Rich Donnelly said he definitely hasn’t been putting the pressure on his left fielder.
“The only thing I’ve said to Stefan since he’s been here is ‘Hello’ and ‘Good game,’ ” said Donnelly. “When a guy’s doing his work well, you don’t need to say much to him.”
The 19-year-old is batting .308 in the last 10 games with a .413 on-base percentage, is trailing only first baseman Cole Frenzel on the team in hits.
Reach reporter Will Bredderman at (718) 260–4507 or e-mail him at wbredderman@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/WillBredderman