(ABC 6 News) — There is the old saying of finding a diamond in the rough, but what about finding a diamond on the diamond?

Luke Sems helped Pine Island Baseball with a big bat last season, the Panthers making a playoff run before falling in the section playoffs. In 2024, the strong-swinging junior is looking to improve from the previous campaign.

“He has just natural talent everywhere,” teammate Brandon Week noted.

“If it’s not broke don’t fix it,” Sems said. “So just got to maintain and obviously hit the weight room and hit the ball harder.”

Sems is hitting it hard because he does not need to hit it any better. During his sophomore campaign, he was batting .677 during a 10-game period where he ended up on all-section and all-conference teams.

“When somebody goes on a stretch like Luke did late.” Week continued. “There in the season it just brings that extra confidence to the rest of the team just knowing we can rely on him in a big spot.”

As it turns out, that big spot was also at the plate, just behind it with a glove and padding.

“Last year as a sophomore our catcher graduated, we needed a catcher so that’s where I stepped in,” Sems explained.

While he felt comfortable at the plate, catching from behind it took a little getting used to.

“It took us a little bit of time to convince him,” Panthers head coach Dan Drazan said. “I think he wanted to maybe be a middle infielder for a while there, but I think the light came on there for Luke that this is the best position for (him) to play to help the team.”

His production with the bat and the catcher’s gear has helped inspire the teammates around him.

“If he can do it, I can do it,” Week said. “he believes in me, I can do what he can do if I just believe in myself.”

Whether it is stepping in or stepping up, there will be one thought on Luke’s mind come the start of the season.

“That’s my approach when I get to the plate,” Sems concluded. “I always try to be good, cause you put the work in and you know that you can be good.”