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hris Munafo is putting the hit into designated hitter.

The Little Miami senior has opened the 2008 baseball season on a tear, collecting

12 hits in his first 18 at bats for a Fort Ancient Valley Conference leading .667 batting average.

At one point over the first week and a half of the season, Munafo hit safely in 10 consecutive at bats.

"Chris has had a tremendous start to the season," Panther coach Dan Cleaver said. "He's got a real good eye. He's aggressive, and he can spray the ball to all fields from gap to gap.

"It's hard for a pitcher to get past a 2-2 count on him. If the pitch is over the plate, he's swinging,"

Cleaver said.

Munafo's success at the plate is no surprise. As a freshman, he hit .297 at the varsity level and followed that up with a .330 average in his sophomore campaign.

Last year, his season was cut short when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in just the third game.

"It was hard to miss last season, but now my knee feels the best it ever has. It's actually stronger than the other knee," Munafo said.

After an 0-for-2 start in the season opener, Munafo has been on fire, including a five-game hit streak. He credits the success to not trying to do too much at the plate.

"I'm seeing the ball the best that I ever have, which is making me feel a lot more comfortable at the plate," Munafo said. "I just try to take it where it's pitched and try not to kill the ball. The idea is to just make contact and get runners home if they are on base.

"If it goes a long way, it goes a long way. If not, hopefully I just get on base," he said.

Munafo said he is comfortable with his role as a designated hitter, though he does play some games at first base.

Cleaver said the team is careful with Munafo because of his knee, and that's just fine with Munafo.

"I feel like I hit the ball better when I'm a DH," Munafo said. "I can focus 100 percent on batting.

"I like to stand in the on-deck circle and watch the pitcher, see if he's consistent in the strike zone and what pitches he likes to throw on what counts. That way, when I'm in the batter's box, I know what to expect," he said.

Munafo said he is talking to the University of Indianapolis about playing baseball in college, but right now his focus is on winning the FAVC Cardinal Division.

"This is the best team by far we've had in my four years here," Munafo said. "Any personal accomplishments will be great, but all I really want is to see the team do well."

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.

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