The Stallions Andy Duran, the humble sophomore was recently selected to the NCBCA Class 1A 2018 All-State baseball team. For a sophomore to be nominated by the committee usually dominated by seniors clearly indicates the kind of season this young athlete enjoyed. His numbers just could not be ignored and they were outstanding.
Duran posted in 25 games a .541 batting average, 40 hits, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 27 RBI’s, 40 runs, OBP .583, SLG .932, OPS 1.530, including 17 steals on 19 attempts. He also made four appearances in relief for the Stallions with one save and a 1.91 ERA.
Speaking with the young ball player he appeared totally surprised by the nomination. “It’s crazy, they choose the best players in the state, and I’m up there with them. I’m still trying to let that sink in,” said Duran.
He follows the Red Sox nation and his role model was David Ortiz. He also is a big fan of Mookie Betts and the Orioles Manny Machado. He mentioned his parents always stress school first and he must maintain A’s and B’s in all his subjects if he wants to play baseball. Therefore, he manages his time efficiently and wisely to balance his practice routine and baseball with his schoolwork. He further mentioned his parents are a great role model and have given him all the support he needs.
He hopes many of his teammates continue to workout a similar daily and weekly routine which includes playing games, batting cage drills, fielding, weight room and being totally committed to getting better, stronger, and improving your skills. “It takes hard work to be successful, and you cannot be afraid of it. I hope my friends on the team work hard enough for us to win our conference and go deeper into the state playoffs,” said Duran.
This young man loves the game, and his freshman year did not go as well as planned. He asked Stallion Coach Dan Kerr what were some of the things he needed to work on to improve his performance. The coach told him confidence is a big part of the the game. He said I had the talent, however, baseball is a mental game and I was losing lacking confidence. “I was not sure how I could fix my mentality, so I concentrated on hitting everyday, working on the field, improving my strength and every facet of the game,” said Duran. He further said, “my confidence grew with success, if I had a bad game, I would leave it on the field and come out next game with a clear mind.” The coach had a huge influence upon him, and Duran acknowledged “without him I would have never fixed my mental state on the diamond.”
For next season, he wants to do even better. His goal is to repeat in earning All-State honors, and eventually achieve the distinction again for the third time in his senior year. However, he will take one year at a time and keep working hard to earn his spot. Then he would like to play at the next level, hopefully being rewarded with a scholarship to a solid college program.
