As the spring baseball season arrives, there’s been a new talk of the town: Jalen Gant. Gant is the only freshman taking on the challenge of the varsity baseball team this season and he is making a name for himself.
Gant has been playing baseball since he was six years old. He has been competing on the Gorillas travel team for three years. The Gorillas are a year-round baseball team that competes all over the United States. He continues to grow his craft for the sport all summer when the Gorillas begin to compete in tournaments.
“In the summer, I do travel [baseball] every weekend,” Gant said. “Even if I do not have travel I still work hard. They say even when people aren’t watching you should just go hard because that is what matters most.”
This year-long play helped Gant earn a varsity spot as a freshman. This is an achievement that Gant has been working hard for and is very proud of.
“I was a little surprised since this is my very first year at Northview. I thought the coaches wouldn’t choose me because I have no chemistry with the team,” Gant said. “I feel great about it. It shows all the work that I have put in.”
Nolan Jacobson-Dicks is a sophomore on the team and has been playing with Gant for two years on the Gorillas. They now get to compete together on the high school’s baseball team. Jacobson-Dicks has gotten to see Gant’s dedication help him grow as a player and person throughout their past seasons.
“My relationship with him is very strong,” Jacobson-Dicks said. “We’ve become close friends over the past two years [of] playing baseball and I’ve gotten to know him as a person and a teammate. He’s kind, funny, tough and has a great work ethic in baseball.”
Gant’s dedication goes beyond the scheduled games, practices and workouts. He regularly hits the batting cages after practice and lifts in his spare time to improve his game. His extra effort isn’t going unnoticed either. His work ethic throughout the season has helped him earn the respect from his experienced teammates.
“Even though [Gant] is young he out works most of the team,” teammate Nolan Jacobson-Dicks said. “We don’t see him as a younger player, we respect him the same and so do the coaches.”
Although Gant’s tough grind has led him to a successful baseball career so far, there were some differences that took him by surprise.
“It’s a lot more serious, [athletes] can’t play around at practice or in the game, you have to stay locked in at all times no matter what, but I feel like I am getting used to it,” Gant said.
Head Coach Jason Denton believes in Gant and his abilities, and has seen his improvement throughout the season.
“He’s tough on himself,” Denton said. “He likes to compete and wants to be successful.”
Though the season is coming to an end, Gant plans to continue his hard work in order to improve in the years to come
Really like this article. Keep up the good work Jalen.