Oak Park’s Picchiotti is heating up

Jack Picchiotti is back to hitting the ball as he was expected to when the season began.

Since Oak Park-River Forest was swept in a three-game series against West Suburban Silver leader Lyons in late April, Picchiotti has found a new rhythm at the plate and turned in a pair of career games last week.

He had eight RBI in a 19-6 nonconference victory at Loyola Friday and then went 4-for-5 in the first game of a doubleheader sweept at Proviso East Saturday. Even Picchiotti’s older brother, senior second baseman Frank, got into the act by going 3-for-3 in a 14-4 win over the Pirates. OPRF also won the second game 15-7.

“In the last 10 games, I have hit the ball really well,” said Jack Picchiotti, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound junior catcher. “I’m seeing (the ball) like I did at the beginning of the season.”

The Huskies (16-8, 9-6) could see Proviso East again. On Friday, OPRF received the No. 4 seed in the Class 4A Mount Carmel Sectional and will host the winner between 13th-seeded Proviso East or 20th-seeded Urban Prep-Englewood in its own regional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. May 25.

OPRF will play Hinsdale Central at 10 a.m. Saturday in the first of a three-game series to end conference play.

Picchiotti will be playing his final weeks of the season with Frank. Jack, a three-year varsity player, was able to enjoy the same feeling as a freshman when he played with his older brother, Sam, a 2009 OPRF graduate.

“With Frank, it has been a great experience,” Jack said. “I was able to play with my older brother as a freshman and (with Frank) I’m close. It has been fun playing with him. Both brothers gave me great advice.”

Jack took care of his future recruiting concerns when he verbally committed to play for Purdue in September. Picchiotti chose Purdue over South Florida, Nebraska and Illinois. He took his first visit to Missouri, but made up his mind quickly after traveling to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

“As soon as I left, I looked at my dad (Bob) and said, ‘I want to be here.’” Jack Picchiotti said. “My Illinois visit was not the same.”

Picchiotti has another year to play for the Huskies before moving on to the Big Ten. When he gets there, he would be one of at least three Chicago area products on the Boilermakers roster with former Wheaton North outfielder Jack DeAno and Brother Rice pitcher Pat Gannon.

Picchiotti chose Purdue partly so that his parents, Bob and Karen, could be within driving distance of his games.

“My parents have watched every game since I started playing baseball,” Jack said.

The No. 3 hitter in coach Chris Ledbetter’s batting order also learned a valuable lesson earlier this season about keeping his emotions in check. He became angry in the dugout during the Huskies’ trip to Florida over spring break, where OPRF went 4-1 to start the season.

After arriving back to the Chicago area, Picchiotti was suspended for the first game of the season against Illinois teams.

“I realized I’ve got to put the team in front of what I’m doing,” Picchiotti said.

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