Senior and boys varsity baseball co-captain Kelden Hooker has helped lead the team to a currently undefeated 11-0 record this season. Kelden ranks second place in the 1A Queens North division in both RBI’s (runs batted in) and slugging percentage. So far, he has 12 RBI’s and a 0.438 slugging percentage.
A four-year member of the varsity baseball team, Kelden grew up playing baseball, soccer, basketball, and other sports, which “drove [him] to be more competitive and more confident,” he said. He said his experiences led him to try out for baseball in high school. “I love playing baseball, so it was never really a question in my mind whether I would or wouldn’t play during high school,” Kelden said.
“He’s like our heartbeat…when Kelden’s there, he speeds up that heart and brings everyone together in their level of intensity as a team,” Coach Matthew Lemanczyk said. He said that Kelden’s energy “fuses into all of our mindsets during the game, whether it be cheering on the bench or staying focused on the field ready to make the next play.”
Team players said Kelden plays a central motivational role. Freshman player Landon Buckley said, “he helps build the team by keeping us in check. During practices, he motivates us to push ourselves to the limit, and when we’re fooling around, he really finds a way to make us focus.”
Similarly, team manager and freshman Austin Cai said, “Kelden motivates us to be more confident and glues the team together with his…advice.”
Freshman Akio Therrien said that Kelden “has natural leadership” and “uses his chemistry as a captain by talking to people personally, trying to help them improve their game so that, in the end, we all look good playing out on the field.”
Junior co-captain Gavin Lettieri said that Kelden deeply cares about the overall team and every individual player. As a captain, “Kelden works well with me and Kaden by communicating clearly and collaborating with our ideas,” Gavin said. “He always puts the success of the team first.”
Kelden said that baseball is a game built on constant challenges. “The biggest challenge is the slow progression of growth,” he said. “You don’t become good overnight. You don’t get good after a hundred reps. You get good after a thousand. Even then the game is unpredictable, you might be given a fast ball down the middle or get hit by a pitch.”
He said his favorite memory came during sophomore year when he hit a grand slam. “There’s no feeling like perfect contact, bat to the ball,” he said.
As the spring season continues, Kelden and the baseball team remain focused on development. While Kelden has the personal goal of “trying out for the Division III team at the college [he is] going to,” he and the team are committed to finding success in the upcoming playoffs.
