Little Voice, Big Bat

When “Ish” speaks, people listen. Some do, anyway.

Problem is, Ismael Rangsiyawong, a junior second baseman for North Hollywood High, rarely raises his voice.

“I’ve known Ish for 12 years and he is very quiet,” pitcher Merrill Dunn said. “Last year he was a bird. Every once in a while he’ll make a comment, but not often. In the locker room, his locker is all the way down in the corner.”

Ish may speak softly, but he carries a big aluminum stick.

Rangsiyawong, academically ineligible most of the past two seasons, has emerged seemingly from nowhere to become one of the region’s most dangerous hitters and lead North Hollywood (25-6) to its first league title in nearly four decades. He leads area City Section players with 13 home runs and 48 runs batted in entering Tuesday’s 4-A Division playoff opener against visiting University.

“I’m really not that surprised. When we played in Pony League, he hit a lot of deep fly balls,” shortstop Jerrit Redlich said. “I always thought he could hit home runs.”

Rangsiyawong was given a chance last summer during an American Legion game when the team’s starting second baseman showed up late. He hasn’t come out of the lineup since.

“Something clicked,” North Hollywood Coach George Vranau said. “He realized he didn’t want to sit anymore. Suddenly, there was a maturity.”

More surprising than Rangsiyawong’s turnaround is his power, considering his size. He stands 5 feet 8 and weighs 150 pounds. Before this season, he had hit only one homer in a high school game.

“It’s just been a lot of hard work and a lot of hustle,” Rangsiyawong said. “Just the basics.” The pain of being on the outside looking in helped more. Rangsiyawong, Dunn and Redlich have long been neighbors and several of the Huskies grew up on the same playground.

“He would come home after school and I would stay late for practice,” Dunn said. “Obviously, he missed out. We would talk every day.”

Said Rangsiyawong: “It was hard, watching and thinking, ‘I could have done that. I could have made that play.’ I had to think of my future.”

Vranau recently called on his second baseman to relate his experience to a trio of junior varsity players teetering on the verge of ineligibility. Rangsiyawong counseled each individually.

“I told them, ‘You’re going to regret it,’ ” Rangsiyawong said. “They were like they didn’t care.

“Well, one of them did and he’s doing OK.”

Ish goes one for three.