Aidem Keeps Putting On a Hit Show

If hitting a baseball is one of the most demanding tasks in sports, then Matt Aidem of Valencia High deserves recognition as one of the best.

As a freshman, he batted .360. As a sophomore, he hit .443. As a junior, he’s batting .634. In less than three high school seasons, he has accumulated 115 hits. He’s five hits away from breaking the school season record of 49 hits.

“He flat-out is one of the best hitters I’ve seen and will play this game for a long time,” Coach Jared Snyder said.

Before he could talk and barely walk, Aidem was taking hacks with a plastic bat. He has made hitting his life mission, studying it like a science.

“It all comes down to plate discipline and using the whole field and being able to hit any strike and not just the one belt-high down the middle,” he said.

Whether facing hard throwers or junk-ball specialists, Aidem continues to demonstrate he can hit any type of pitching.

His most impressive performance came in a March 14 game against Westminster La Quinta and USC-bound pitcher Ian Kennedy. Kennedy struck out 15 in a 2-0 victory over Valencia, but Aidem blasted two doubles and was the only player able to handle Kennedy’s 89-mph fastball.

“I like the guys who get up there and throw 90-plus because all you have to do is stick the bat out and the velocity of the pitch will do the rest,” he said.

To protect Aidem, Snyder has moved him to the leadoff spot, which makes it less worthwhile for pitchers to walk him.

Aidem has also contributed as a pitcher, going 7-0 with a 2.05 earned-run average.

He’s 5 feet 10, 180 pounds, bats left-handed and plays first base. With a 3.8 grade-point average, he should be heavily recruited by colleges seeking a consistent hitter. But the pro scouts are displaying their usual attitude because of his size.

“Pro guys will say, ‘You’re 5-10, you’re probably not going to get drafted after high school,’ ” Aidem said. “Every time I hear that, it motivates me. I want to prove people [wrong]. My favorite player is Paul Lo Duca [also 5-10]. We’re not overly fast, overly huge, but swing it best we can.”

If Aidem had to turn in a term paper on hitting, he’d have no problem writing about strategies, concepts and styles.

“It’s learning to use the pitcher’s velocity for your own benefit,” he said. “A lot of guys will take this huge swing and think they’re generating all this power. Mine is just short, forearms and wrists, and getting it through the zone. You have to put everything in your swing. That’s my thing. If you’re protecting, there’s no point. You might as well swing your hardest.”

Aidem’s girlfriend has learned it’s hard to separate him from baseball.

“She gets sick of it, even when we’re just walking or at the mall,” he said. “We’ve gone to the Northridge mall and I’ll see people I know from baseball, ‘Oh, there it is, more baseball.’ ”

Except Aidem made a decision long ago that if he had to give up attending a party or spending time with friends to pursue baseball, that’s what he’d do.

“I’m willing to sacrifice so one day I can step on the field for a big league team,” he said. “I just want to achieve my dream.”

Not that he’s ignoring his academics. If baseball doesn’t work out, he’s intrigued about joining the FBI. He’s working on a term paper for a history class on the 1963 Kennedy assassination and keeps coming across different conspiracy theories.

“I love analyzing,” he said.

And what’s his conclusion?

“Nobody really knows what happened,” he said. “Supposedly, in 2037, all these documents are coming out.”

By then, Aidem will be retired from the major leagues or playing on an FBI intramural team. Whatever happens, count on him still knowing how to hit.

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With a little more than one month left in the baseball season, at least six players have separated themselves to become player-of-the-year candidates in Southern California.

Besides Aidem, La Quinta third baseman Ian Stewart has stamped himself as the most feared hitter, with a .478 batting average, 11 home runs and 45 runs batted in.

Tyler Morrison of Glendora has been a terrific two-way threat, hitting .509 with 10 home runs and going 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA.

Junior Trevor Plouffe of Encino Crespi is on his way to making himself a first-round draft choice in 2004. He’s 8-0 with a 0.69 ERA and is hitting .493 with 36 RBIs.

Junior Jason Dominguez of Chatsworth could be the City player of the year. He’s 7-0 with a 1.95 ERA and is working on a 19-inning scoreless streak. He’s also batting .444 with five home runs and 30 RBIs.

Finally, there’s Jeff Flaig of Placentia El Dorado. He’s hitting .603 with 34 RBIs and six home runs against one of the toughest schedules in Southern California.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.