Soberano Earns Post-Season Honors with Strong Finish to 2021 Season

Pirates infielder Kyle Soberano earned his way up the ladder for his collegiate team in 2021, starting the majority of games at second base and consistently providing offensive production in the latter half of the season for Illinois State University.

“I just stayed ready and put in work and just kind of waited for the opportunity to come and thankfully I got it,” Soberano said.

Soberano did not start a game Illinois state until late march, a month into his team’s season. As soon as he got the opportunity, he began producing offensively, recording hits in three of his first four starts and RBIs in two of those games.

Soberano heated up even more as the season progressed. Between April 27th and May 16th he had 18 hits in 12 games, a span which included two three-hit games. His .358 conference batting average was second highest on his team, helping him earn an All Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention.

“I made a change in my swing about half way through the year,” Soberano said. “I moved my hands up a little bit and then I went from kind of a leg-kick to a toe-tap.”

Despite being hampered by a lack of early opportunities, Soberano fought back to finish the season with a .284/.385/.349 slash line which improved to .358/.507/.442 in conference games.

“I was feeling good at the plate and I felt like I was seeing the ball really well when I was starting,” Soberano said.

The Pirates are well aware of Soberano’s talents, including those that don’t appear on stat sheets. His speed and first-step quickness give him great range at second base. His understanding of how to attack pitchers allows him to provide valuable insight to his teammates in the dugout.

Ventura County will soon benefit from all of Soberano’s skills as he will join the VC Pirates for his fourth go around in the 2021 season.