Karaviotis perfect at the plate for Cougars

As a proud son of Hawaii, Mark Karaviotis carries a little extra motivation with him to the ballpark every night. On Saturday, it showed up in a big way.
The D-backs prospect went 5-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored to lead Class A Kane County to a 10-2 victory over Peoria at Northwestern Medicine Field.

"It's tough for players from Hawaii," Karaviotis said. "We're so far from the mainland that it's hard to get our names on the map and get recognized by pro scouts and colleges. There's a handful of us and we all have a good relationship and have each other's back and talk all the time. There's so few of us that come from Hawaii that you're representing, not only your family but a whole state. It's an honor because the whole state kind of has your back and knows who you are. Not many people can say that."
Karaviotis battled Peoria starter Ian Oxnevad (2-8) for six pitches in the second inning before ripping a single to left field. He delivered another knock to right in the third, then went to center for an RBI single in the fifth.
Gameday box score
"I've put in a lot of work with [hitting coach] Jose Amado on a few drills to get right over the past few days," the 21-year-old said. "He noticed that my back shoulder was dropping as my first movement. Your first movement is supposed to be straight down toward the quickest point of the ball to get right on plane. My barrel was coming in and out of the zone too quickly, so we've worked on that. It paid off tonight."
The three hits off Oxnevad felt especially sweet, given the fact that Karaviotis' went hitless against the southpaw in their last encounter on June 15.
"Last time I faced him, he had my number, for sure," the University of Oregon product said. "So I watched some film on him and how he attacked me so I had a better idea and approach going into the game tonight."
Karaviotis hit an RBI double to left in the seventh to give himself a shot at his first career five-hit night. He came through with a single to right on the first pitch he saw in the eighth from reliever Bryan Dobzanski.
"There wasn't much pressure there. I kept my approach the whole night and got a pitch I could hit and got a good swing on it," he said.

In 44 games, Karaviotis has a .329/.414/.445 slash line with a pair of homers and 20 RBIs. The 2016 19th-round pick is putting up impressive numbers while learning the ins and outs of first base.

"It's been fun learning different angles and coverages," said Karaviotis, who came up as a shortstop. "You're actually in the game a lot more than people think at first. A lot of people think first base is an easy position, but there's a lot of tough throws and movements on balls that you have to be ready for. You also need your footwork to be right on the money. It's been nice to expand my versatility as a player and, hopefully, that'll help me down the road."
D-backs No. 9 prospect Anfernee Grier doubled twice and scored three times for the Cougars. Starter Mack Lemieux (3-2) got the win after limiting the Chiefs to two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four in six innings.