Hudson John has been around baseball long enough to know the lingo — even the video game versions.

“I’ve heard kids say, I just thought of the PCI,” John said with a wide smile, “and I hit it.”

That would be the plate coverage indicator, a circular target that MLB The Show players aim at the incoming pitch when they’re at the plate in the video game. It’s fairly straightforward: Put the PCI on the ball, time it up, then swing. Put all three together and you’re hitting it hard.

John, a rising Highland senior during the school year and the Post 4 Razorbacks’ first baseman for the summer, might as well be playing the video game. He’s putting up numbers in real life that might convince you he is: Through 20 games, John is batting a blistering .500. He’s swatted 10 extra-base hits, including two home runs (more on one of them in a bit) and 23 RBI. It’s a remarkable sight, this baby-faced high school junior raking like he’s at the joysticks, but the more he does it, the more you’re tempted to believe he can keep it up.

The receipt is in the numbers. John recorded two hits apiece in the 13-7 Razorbacks’ two wins over Soda Springs on Wednesday evening, bringing his hitting streak to four games — including hits in 10 of the last 11 games. In that stretch, he’s logged four doubles, two triples and one home run. Just wait until you hear about those last two hits.

The home run came in Wednesday’s first game. John roped a ball into the right field gap. He placed it perfectly, perfect enough to give him time to round third base and race toward home, this time with the green light from head coach Chris Seckel. “Actually, I thought about it for a second,” Seckel said, “because I got him thrown out at home earlier in the season.” This time, though, John crossed home plate without much of a play.

In the very same inning, John came back up to bat, the Razorbacks putting up runs by the bushel. He throttled another pitch. Same spot in the outfield. Soda Springs’ outfield corps corralled this one as John was rounding second, though, so he had to settle for a measly triple.

“I’m kinda just seeing the ball and hitting the ball at the right moment,” John said. “You gotta just try to find a barrel.”

John is finding barrels like loose change in his car cup holders. That’s what might be most compelling about his summer to this point: He’s swinging it so consistently. He’s posted hits in all but three games this season. Check out this six-game sampling of his hits numbers: One. Two. One. Three. One. Four. He went 0-for-4 in his next outing, only to kickstart his current hitting streak, which is showing exactly zero signs of slowing down.

“He’s just seeing the ball and hitting it hard,” Seckel said. “He’s doing a great job. Tearing it up at first base, too.”

“My big thing is just staying loose and staying relaxed up there,” John said. “Not getting too tense and just having fun.”

In some ways, that’s where this Legion season differs from high school campaigns. In summer ball, kids have fun, try different positions, team up with their friends from other schools. High school ball operates with a more serious tone: We have to beat this district opponent for tournament seeding. We have to make state. There’s a palpable difference in, as the kids might say, the vibes.

At the plate, John is treating the seasons the same, which is a real compliment, considering he hit .360 for Highland this spring. Those might not look like video game numbers, but the more he swings it this summer, the more John looks like he’s at the controls.

“It kind of does (have similarities) because you gotta see the spin,” John said. “You can tell the curveball. Some pitchers have certain tells or indications of what they’re gonna throw. So sometimes they have different arm slots with their curveball and fastball.”