By Don Ketchum

The world had an extra day on Wednesday (Feb. 29), and Chris Akmon and his Scottsdale Saguaro baseball teammates put it to full use with a practice.

The Sabercats could have rested, basking in the glow of a victory over rival Scottsdale Chaparral the day before. But that’s not how it works when your team has won two state championships in a row as has Saguaro.

You keep after it.

That’s what Akmon has done for most of his career, first in youth leagues and then at Saguaro, where he is in his fourth year on the varsity and was an All-Arizona selection by The Arizona Republic last season as a junior. The outfielder-first baseman also was a two-time Desert Sky Region Player of the Year.

“What I want to do is stay consistent as I can particularly early in the season and try to keep it going where you peak in the playoffs. You don’t want to peak too soon,’’ Akmon said.

The numbers mirror his approach. As a sophomore, he hit .500 with 55 RBIs and as a junior, he hit .504 with 56 RBIs. He combined for 20 home runs over that same period. This season, he had 10 hits in his first 17 at-bats.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Akmon normally is the starter in right field and plays first base when the regular first baseman, Reed Austin, pitches. Akmon hits in the No. 3 spot in coach Ryan Dyer’s batting order, behind No. 1 Austin Anderson and No. 2 Zach Gibbons. The two join Akmon to form the Sabercats’ outfield, Anderson in left and Gibbons in center.

”All three are Division I (college) guys and pro prospects. You would be hard-pressed to find a better outfield in the country,’’ Dyer said.

“Those guys ahead of me make it easy for me because they get on base all the time,’’ Akmon said. “I also have good protection behind me.’’

He always has been able to hit. He calls himself a gap-to-gap hitter with some power.

“I love hitting,’’ Akmon said. “I am really competitive. I love to win. I try to stay level-headed because this is a game of failure.’’

He said he has followed the scrappy-type players in the major leagues, “which is ironic, because I’m not really a scrappy-type player.’’

Akmon takes a lot of pride in his defense.

“I’d say my defense is sharp,’’ he said. “It’s been a little tougher this year getting reads (on the ball) off the bat. Those new bats (a different type of metal from previously used aluminum) don’t sound the same, and the ball doesn’t look the same coming off the bat. They really slice and then they sometimes die out there.’’

One of the primary reasons for the new bats is to reduce injuries to pitchers with reduced velocity coming off the bat.

“More ground balls,’’ Akmon said, knowing that will give Saguaro’s infielders more action.

Akmon also is fortunate to be able to play with his twin brother, Daniel, who is a pitcher.

“He (Daniel) also is a big piece of the puzzle for us,’’ Dyer said.

After he leaves Saguaro, Chris Akmon is headed to college to play at St. Mary’s, in the San Francisco Bay area. Former Saguaro pitcher Kurt Jahnke already is at St. Mary’s, so that should help with Akmon’s transition.

But there also is a good chance that Akmon could be chosen in Major League Baseball’s annual Amateur Draft in June. Dyer said the attendance of pro scouts seems to be increasing with each game, looking at Akmon and other players.

“I have filled out (pro) paperwork, so we’ll see what happens, but I’m committed to D-I baseball,’’ Akmon said.

Trying to win another title, this time in Division II (the other two were in the old Class 4A Division II), is of utmost importance to Akmon.

“We have all the talent in the world. Most of us have played together since middle school,’’ Akmon said.

Akmon and the Sabercats are keeping after it.