Lakeville North’s Angelo Altavilla has a reputation as a dangerous hitter, and for good reason.

The senior set a single-game state record with three home runs and 12 RBI in a 15-0 victory over Eastview last year. 

Altavilla did little to change opinions in Lakeville North’s 12-6 victory over South Suburban Conference rival Apple Valley on Friday, crushing a three-run homer over the left field fence in his first at-bat.

It was his third home run of the season and seventh in his three-year varsity career, and yet Altavilla’s powerful swing is not what his coaches and teammates have deemed as his most most important attribute. They say it’s his fielding.

“The kid’s glove is incredible,” Lakeville North senior infielder Nathaniel Anderson said. “He is about as consistent as they come.”

Altavilla validated his dependable reputation in the game against the Eagles. The Panthers shortstop made two key plays for Lakeville North (12-6, 10-6) to help thwart Apple Valley’s late-inning rally. With the Eagles threatening to cut into the Panthers’ 11-6 lead in the fifth inning, Altavilla twice kept runners from reaching base by bare-handing the ball and quickly throwing to first base for the force out.

Coming up with a clutch defensive stop is a play Altavilla is comfortable making.

“When you’re getting all of those balls bouncing your way and they start getting runs, anything you have to do to get an out is crucial,” said Altavilla, who has not committed an error in the field this season. “I was lucky to get a little bouncer and one-hand it and got the guy out.”

Market said those types of plays might not stick in spectators’ minds as crucial, but they can be game-changers, especially when pitching falters.

“They don’t look like a huge play, but that gets us out of innings and it limits damage,” Market said. “It shows hustle and shows leadership.”

Altavilla’s offense has made him a standout for a Lakeville North squad ranked No. 5 in Class 3A by Let’s Play Baseball. He entered the Apple Valley game hitting .370, the third-best average on the team, and he had the second-most RBI with 12. 

But it was Altavilla’s defense that helped him crack the varsity lineup as a 10th-grader.

“We didn’t really care how he could hit his sophomore year, but we knew he could play defensively,” Lakeville North coach Tony Market said.

His early start can also be attributed to the baseball culture in which Altavilla was raised. The Nebraska commit had older brothers who played baseball in the Lakeville North program and also went on to play in college. 

Altavilla also has a private batting coach: his dad.

Bob Altavilla pitches to Angelo the night before every game, creating a special bond. 

“That’s what makes baseball contagious through the ages - when fathers get their sons to fall in love with the game,” Market said.

Altavilla said spending time around his dad and brothers helped him grow up “loving baseball,” a passion that plays out in his fielding.

“He loves fielding as much as he loves doing a lot of other things, and he works really hard at it,” Market said. “Infielding is a hard thing to fall in love with sometimes.” 

So is playing defense in hockey, which doesn’t offer the chance to flash like a forward who constantly has scoring opportunities. And the blue line is where Altavilla has succeed on the ice, as a defenseman for the 2015 Class 2A state champion Lakeville North hockey team. Altavilla sees the value in a strong defense, something he’s tried to impart on his younger teammates.

“As a senior, I have to show the guys around me that good defense can win games, even if you’re not doing well on offense,” Altavilla said. “If you get one or two runs and win a game, your defense was awesome that game.”

Altavilla has also shown players such as third baseman Joey Larson and second baseman Mitch Frederick what it takes to succeed at the varsity level.

“He leads by example in what he does,” Market said. “He doesn't have to say anything because everyone just watches how he plays. Do they want to be ‘like Mike?’ No, they want to be ‘like Angelo.’”

Angelo Altavilla hit a three-run home run in the first inning to propel Lakeville North to a 12-6 victory over South Suburban Conference rival Apple Valley at Apple Valley High School on Friday. 

The Panthers (12-6, 10-6), ranked No. 5 in Class 3A by Let’s Play Baseball, remained in third place in the league standings, but inched closer to conference leader Shakopee (12-5, 11-4) with the victory. With the loss, the Eagles (9-9, 8-8) dropped out of contention in the South Suburban.

The sun flashed early in Friday’s game, and the Panthers’ bats followed suit as Lakeville North finished with 11 hits on the afternoon.

None was bigger than Altavilla’s homer. After the Panthers led off the top of the first with back-to-back walks, the senior shortstop cleared the bases when he rocketed a pitch over the left field fence to give Lakeville North a 3-0 lead. The Panthers added two more runs while filtering through their order once in the opening inning to extend their lead to 5-0.

Lakeville North junior outfielder Drew Stewart finished the game with three RBI, including two on a single in the second inning that increased the lead to 8-0.

Trailing 11-2 in the fifth, Apple Valley appeared to be out of the game, but the Eagles sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs to narrow the deficit. 

The Panthers, however, responded in the next inning as Joey Larson’s RBI-triple pushed the lead to 12-6.

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