The Knights were 9-1 on March 25 when Howell made his season debut.

A three-year varsity starter at Big Valley Christian, the senior had to sit out the first month because of CIF transfer rules.

Longtime coach John de Visser had some concern that the addition, albeit a talented one, may somehow negatively impact his young squad that was already performing well without him.

“I had to communicate a lot with the boys to make sure everybody is on the same page,” de Visser said. “The biggest thing is that I didn’t want him to press. When he got in, we just talked a lot about doing your thing. The best part is we were already rolling, so he didn’t have to press to help turn the ship around. He could just slot in and make us better.”

Howell hit the ground running, and the Knights are now sprinting toward the finish line with the first Trans Valley League baseball championship in school history on the other side.

In his first 13 games, Howell posted a prolific 0.558/0.648/1.023 slash line, and his three home runs and seven doubles are team-highs. He also has 19 RBIs, 20 runs, two triples and eight steals.

Howell is scalding hot going into Ripon Christian’s two-game set with Orestimba starting today.

In the last week, he’s hitting 12 for 14 with a homer, six doubles, a triple, 11 runs and 11 RBIs over four games. Howell accomplished a rare feat last Thursday at historic Billy Hebert Field, hitting for the cycle in a 13-1 rout of Holt Academy. He finished 5 for 5 with three runs, two doubles, four RBIs.

“He’s the most professional hitter I’ve had since Nolan Lingley,” de Visser said, referencing the 2020 grad who went on to play Division I ball at Pepperdine. “One of the top three right-handers the program has ever seen. Velocity doesn’t matter — he’s hitting 88 (miles-per-hour pitches) the same as he’s hitting 72. And he can really run.

“His leadership and character are off the charts.”

He not only gives Ripon Christian pop at the top of its lineup, but also some added versatility on defense — he plays shortstop, center field and right field — and another arm in de Visser’s loaded pitching staff. From the mound, Howell sports a 0.54 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings in relief.

The Knights (7-1, 21-2 overall) lead second-place Escalon by a game in the TVL standings with four remaining. They host Orestimba (2-6, 8-13) today on the front end of a back-to-back, then cap the regular season next week with a home-and-home against winless Sonora.