By Hayden Swope
Salina Central’s Parker Graves is most excited to share one final year on the field with teammates he has known since childhood.
“This season I am most excited to play one last year with my buddies,” Graves said. “I grew up playing tee ball and coach pitch with these guys so it’s pretty crazy that this season will be my last time suiting up with them. I also want to enjoy the game and have fun with the great group of guys on the team.”
During the offseason, Graves stayed busy with personal workouts and specialized training to prepare for the season ahead.
“This offseason I have been doing some personal workouts and getting weekly sessions with Kegan Schumann at Revive Performance,” Graves said. “I have also been visiting the indoor baseball facility The Yard in Salina.”
Heading into the season, Graves has both team and personal goals in mind.
“My goals for the team are to build on our success from last year,” Graves said. “Last season I felt we had a really good squad and with most varsity starters returning this year we just need to play the game and the improvements each player made during the offseason will build on the success we had last Spring.”
Individually, Graves is focused on improving in all areas of the game, both physically and mentally.
“My personal goals are to improve in all facets of the game, mentally and physically,” Graves said. “Baseball is a very mental game and it’s easy to get frustrated with yourself when things aren’t going well. Always having a good mindset and staying focused on the next pitch and the next play are great ways to see better results.”
