It’s like something out of a high school movie straight from Hollywood.
Star quarterback in the fall, star infielder and pitcher in the spring.
At Bolivar High, Connor Sechler is living the dream. He leads the Liberators on the gridiron, and on the diamond.
“He’s worked hard at it, as we all have,” said Bolivar baseball coach Brad Roweton. “[He’s a] good student, and I just don’t have enough good things to say about him.”
While Connor is no slouch under center, it’s baseball that will follow him to college. He’s committed to Missouri State to pitch already, as a junior, something he says takes the pressure off.
“For me, just getting that out of the way as early as I can,” he said. “That way I can focus on football and focus on baseball and just go out and have fun with my teammates.”
That being said, his football experience pays off when he’s on the mound.
“It’s really good for me,” he said. “I truly believe it’s made me into the person I am today. It just teaches me to go out and compete every single day and try to be the best I can.”
According to Roweton, Connor embodies the kind of player he wants on his team.
“We want the kind of kids out here that, when there’s a chance to compete in a game, whether it’s tiddlywinks or basketball or baseball, we want the kind of kid that says, ‘Hey, I’d like to go play,’” he said. “We like kids that want to compete every chance they have.”
The definitely describes Connor Sechler, though there are still sacrifices he has to make to be fully involved in both sports, especially in the summer, when he’s playing summer baseball and going through preseason football workouts.
“Getting back from baseball tournaments on the weekends and waking up for six o’clock morning weights for football isn’t very fun,” he says with a laugh.
But come baseball season, the lanky right-hander, who touches 90 miles per hour with his fastball, feels like his arm is in great shape.
“I spend four months, six months throwing a football,” he said. “When I come out here, I’m like, ‘Hey, this thing’s kind of light, I can wing it around.’”
From a mental standpoint, on the other hand, there’s no change between pitcher and QB.
“The game’s on me,” he said. “I love that feeling, knowing I’m in control.
“I want to be the dude.”
And “be the dude” he will for Liberator baseball this season, a team with state title aspirations. Right-hander Connor Sechler can help get them there, and he is the latest Arby’s High School Athlete of the Week.
