‘Mr. Reliable’ always on hand for UH’s Vchulek

“Mr. Reliable” and the University of Hawaii baseball player known as “Smile” have been best friends for more than eight years.

They work well together, fitting like a glove, because, well, “Mr. Reliable” is the nickname for center fielder Dylan Vchulek’s glove.

Entering his sophomore season at Bainbridge (Wash.) High, Vchulek needed a broken-in glove for his move from middle infielder to the outfield. JJ Willford, a former teammate, made an offer. “I bought that glove for $50,” Vchulek said, “and I got a baseball hat along with it.”

It is a 12.75-inch Rawlings glove that is flared, with both ends pointing outward, and according to Vchulek, “gives me the biggest amount of space to make the play. It’s the most reliable piece of equipment I own.”

On plane trips, the glove is packed in Vchulek’s carry-on bag. It has been repaired once, when the stitching became frayed at the palm’s heel. He often will use a team-issued glove for practices. But he will use Mr. Reliable for the four-game series against San Francisco, which opens tonight at Les Murakami Stadium.

“I have to pick and choose when I use it at this point,” Vchulek said. “It could fall apart. It’s pretty floppy.”

Vchulek, who transferred from Bellevue College in August, has adapted to Murakami Stadium’s fickle wind patterns and cavernous playing area. “He’s a true center fielder,” coach Mike Trapasso said.

Vchulek trusts an old baseball trick to track fly balls and liners, using the brim of his hat, the way drivers in the 1970s used the hood ornament as a guide to stay in a lane. If he sees the ball above the brim, he drops back. If the ball is below the brim, he will race forward. He honed his reactions doing drills usually employed by football cornerbacks. “You have to read the flight of the ball and attack at the right angle,” Vchulek said. “Think of it as you’re intercepting the ball.”

Vchulek, who bats leadoff for the ‘Bows, also has a calculated approach to hitting. His choice is a 33-inch, 30-ounce bat. “I’ve always enjoyed using a smaller-weighted bat because I enjoy throwing my hands at the pitch a little faster,” he said. “I can catch up to a little more velocity. I don’t need the plate coverages (of a longer bat) because I have long arms.”

Bellevue College competed in a wooden-bat league. Vchulek learned to meet the ball with the bat’s so-called sweet spot to avoid splintering the wood. He broke only one wooden bat in two seasons.

“If you analyze his swing, it’s not prettiest,” Trapasso said. “But it’s on a plane, and it doesn’t have a lot of swing-and-miss in it.”

In three games this season, Vchulek is 4-for-8 with three walks. All of his hits came on two-strike pitches.

“I pride myself on always trying to square the ball,” Vchulek said. “My ideal hit would be right back at the pitcher as hard as I can on a line with good metal. I’m always going to work the count as deep as I can.”

Vchulek, who averages 4.2 pitches per at-bat, was struck by a North Carolina State pitch the past weekend. The umpire ruled that Vchulek did not make a move to avoid the ball, returning Vchulek to the batter’s box. Soon after, Vchulek delivered a single.

“He knows his strengths and weaknesses,” Trapasso said. “He rarely strikes out. He puts the ball in play. He doesn’t try to hit the ball out of the park. He tries to hit behind runners and use the short game. He’s everything and more.”