Connor Scifres played basketball and football at Trinity Lutheran in the past, but wasn’t involved in a spring sport.
He said Josh Rowe approached him about playing baseball, so he joined, and said he has enjoyed being part of the team this spring.
Scifres played baseball during his youth in Seymour, and now plays left field for the Cougars.
He said it takes communication between the infielders and outfielders on balls hit over the infielders that drop in front of the outfielders.
“It happened the other day in practice,” Scifres said. “I called it and told the guy to back off so I can get it.”
Scifres bats left-handed and has also been a designated hitter for the Cougars.
“I ask the batter before me what he threw him on the first pitch so I can adjust to it,” Scifres said. “I usually swing at the first pitch.”
He feels comfortable being able to make contact on fastballs.
Scifres said during batting practice, “I’ve been working on making my swing shorter so I can get to the ball faster. I’ve worked on keeping my eyes and head down and my shoulder up and watch the ball.”
He said being able to work in the indoor hitting facility before the season was a big help to him and the other players.
“I did a lot of work and my swing got a lot better squaring up to the ball,” Scifres said. “We had a lot of live pitching.”
He said he especially needs to concentrate when batting with runners on base.
Scifres said practice is important, and keeping a positive attitude is key.
“Practice is important. I work on catching fly balls and work on hitting,” he said. “ It’s important to stay positive and help the team out.”
He said he feels like the Cougars have a good chance of having a winning season.
“I’m looking forward to winning games and making teamwork happen,” Scifres said. “We just need to stay positive.”
He enjoys the home games, and said his favorite away fields are Brown County and Scottsburg.
Connor said when he was a freshman, his brother Keenan was a senior at Trinity, and is the reason he chose to attend TLHS.
“I came after him,” Scifres said. “I like the small classes, and having fun people to hang out with. I like the learning capacity here. You can ask the teachers in class for help.”
Scifres plans to attend Ivy Tech, and said he looks forward to coming back to Trinity and help the team as an assistant coach.
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Name: Connor Scifres
High school: Trinity Lutheran
Parent: Mondee Scifres
Sibling: Keenan
Sports: basketball 2 years, football 1 year, baseball 1 year
Organizations: student ambassador, pep club
Plan after high school: attend Ivy Tech
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite musician: Travis Scott
Favorite teams: Louisville Cardinals, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks
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