It was a long time coming for Petey Craska.

The Mars slugger missed out on his freshman year on the diamond for the Planets' baseball team last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Finally able to play in his school colors, the left-handed hitter with unbridled power is making up for lost time.

Craska hit his first career home run last week against Central Valley, a grand slam. He also drove in six runs in the 11-2 win.

For his efforts, Craska was named one of six Butler Eagle athletes of the week.

“The first game this year, I had a little bit of the jitters,” Craska said. “I was just so excited to be back on the field with the kids that I've been friends with for years.

“It was great to get that first career home run.”

Craska has added another and is batting .300 this season.

He's shown off his plate discipline, too, with a team-leading 10 walks.

Craska is a polished hitter beyond his years when it comes to how he approaches his at-bats.

“The first pitch, I'm looking for mostly a fastball,” Craska said. “I'm looking to send it over the center field fence. With two strikes, my approach changes. I'm just trying to put the ball hard in play because when you put the ball in play, good things can happen.”

Craska comes from a baseball pedigree.

His older brothers, Frank and Joey, were standout players for Mars.

Frank is a junior pitcher at Lafayette. Joey is a freshman pitcher at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

During quarantine, the brothers got together with some other Mars baseball players and stayed in shape.

Petey Craska was able to see some pretty good pitching after all.

“My two brothers are pretty much what keeps me going,” Petey said. “I just look up to them. The progress they're making every day keeps me motivated.”

Petey wants to follow in the footsteps of another former Mars player he admires: David Bednar, who is pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Craska would love to someday be in the major leagues, too.

“He shows that anyone can make it from anywhere,” Craska said.

Perhaps the only person last week who could have gotten Craska out was Freeport softball pitcher Autumn Powell.

The senior had a day to remember against Valley.

Powell struck out 19 while throwing a three-hit shutout for the Yellowjackets in an 8-0 win and was named one of the six Eagle athletes of the week.

Powell had no idea how many Ks she was piling up until assistant coach Larry Meta mentioned something to her when she came into the dugout midway through the game.

“He said, 'Do you realize how many you have?'” Powell said. “He said, 'You have 14.' I was like, 'No way.'”

Powell kept mowing down Valley batters, using her vast repertoire of pitches that includes a fastball, changeup, curveball, dropball and screwball.

Powell doesn't hesitate to name her best pitch and one that was baffling Valley hitters.

“My curveball,” Powell said. “It works all the time.”

Powell has only been playing softball for seven years — a relatively short time when it comes to the sport.

Powell has been pitching most of that time. Her father, Jay, helped her along the way.

“It was a bonding thing with him,” Powell said. “It was great. Our relationship has grown so much.”

Powell is also a weightlifter and April 11 won first overall in a competition, setting several records.

“Weightlifting got me in shape before the season,” Powell said. “It definitely gave me an edge this season.”