By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Rich Michalek hurt his ankle in an early June series against Liberal, less than 10 days after the Hays Larks' season began.

The injury forced Michalek to readjust his game.

"It was tough, because usually I am more of a speed guy," he said. "I lay down a couple bunts or beat out some infield hits. Now I have to rely more on my bat, getting the ball in the gap a little bit."

Michalek, though, has made the change seamlessly in his third year with Hays. The Larks' starting second baseman (his third position in three summers), Michalek paces Hays in multiple offensive categories.

Among players with at least 20 games, Michalek leads Hays in average (.391), on-base percentage (.484) and slugging percentage (.547). He is tied for the team lead in homers (four) and has a team-best 23 walks.

The on-base percentage is tied for sixth all-time in Larks history and ranks as the third-highest since 1994.

"He has played through some pain," Hays manager Frank Leo said. "He is a tough guy. He has a great eye at the plate."

Michalek's offense has keyed Hays to a 29-12 overall record, 23-8 in the Jayhawk League, 2 1/2 games ahead of Derby.

"It's going good," Michalek said. "The most important thing is that we are in first place and it's nice to be playing well."

The Larks, after a recent 4-2 stretch that included a two-game road sweep against Dodge City on Tuesday and Wednesday, will close out the regular season with five straight home games.

The home stand starts today with a three-game series against Nevada, Mo., (26-13, 20-12) at Larks Park. First pitch is 7 p.m. Hays can clinch its sixth Jayhawk League title, first since 2006, as early as Saturday.

Ace Patrick Cooper (6-2, 2.56 earned-run average) will start tonight. Cooper, who hasn't lost since June 17 and needs one more win to move into the top 10 all-time for single-season Larks victories.

The offense, which slumped at the beginning of July, has keyed a recent stretch that's overcome some team-pitched games and poor starts. Hays has tallied four double-digit run totals and hasn't scored fewer than seven runs in the last six games. The Larks have averaged 11 runs in that span.

Michalek has been one of the Larks' main catalysts. In the last six games, he is 10-for-19 with eight walks. He will take a stretch of four straight two-hit games into tonight's game. The ankle has also healed fully as Michalek played shortstop for the first time in nearly six weeks at Dodge City.

It's been a change for Michalek from his first two years in Hays. One of two three-year Larks (Dusty Washburn is the other one), Michalek played third base his first season and outfield in 2007 before he moved to second.

"It's really different, but I really like doing it," Michalek said.

Last year, Michalek earned all-Jayhawk League honors after he batted .318 and stole 36 bases, tied for third-most in Larks history. He collected eight extra-base hits as the Larks took second place in the National Baseball Congress World Series.

In the spring, Michalek earned second-team all-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division as Slippery Rock's shortstop and came to Hays as the second baseman.

He hurt his ankle early, though, and had to play with a brace underneath his baseball socks.

"Hurt a lot at the beginning to pivot and turn on my foot," he said.

Michalek couldn't run well (he has just 10 steals), but has re-invented himself as a power hitter. Usually batting second or third, Michalek has a .547 slugging percentage, 172 points higher than last year with Hays.

It's the largest jump of any Larks player.

Now, though, Michalek said his ankle is 100 percent healthy. It showed at Dodge City, where Michalek stole five bases in the two-game series.

"We are hoping that that part of his game is going to come back," Leo said.

Coupled with the power, Michalek has formed one of the best seasons by any Lark.