“The biggest thing is getting a good pitch, laying a good swing on it, and then after that you don’t have a whole lot of control over it. I don’t want our guys swinging for home runs, I would prefer doubles in the gap, but if they get a little under it and it goes out, I will take every single one of them.”

He didn’t have some of the preseason All-America accolades as some of his teammates, but Bissonette may be playing as well as any Bear right now. He’s been razor-sharp in the field at second base, making the running chasedown play in the hole look almost routine. And he had a monster day at the plate against Cornell (0-1), going 2-for-4 with a homer, a triple and two RBIs.

Bissonette said he’s been watching a lot of video clips of big leaguers like Manny Machado, Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor, and has taken little nuggets from each of them.

“I’ve been feeling pretty good,” Bissonette said. “Just been working on some stuff on my own. All fall been working with the coaches, and they can tell me whatever they want, but if I can’t feel it myself, there’s no point in me trying to figure out what works for me. I was lucky enough to do pretty well today at the plate, but most importantly help our team win.”

What Rodriguez sees is a senior who has embraced his place as a team leader.