Stepping up to the plate, calm and composed, senior Sean Asperger digs into the batter’s box with a confident look on his face. Taking a practice swing, he eyed the pitcher, raised his bat, and takes his stance. “Come on White Lightning!” can be heard from Poly’s dugout, his friends and teammates cheering with all of their might. The pitcher winds up, throws the ball, and Asperger is loaded into his swing. With the loud crack of the bat, the ball soared convincingly over the right field fence at Poly’s Ochari D’Aiello Field, giving the Panthers an early lead over league opponent Chadwick School.
It’s moments like these that make Asperger an essential weapon on Poly’s baseball team. He has worked hundreds of hours to become a skilled player with exceptional talent, advanced fundamentals and a deep understanding of the game.
“Sean’s been a key part of the team’s success so far both offensively and defensively. He’s been a lockdown shortstop and a solid bat in the two spots for us this year,” said senior captain Henry McDonald.
“He’s got a super advanced approach at the plate which makes it super hard to get him out.”
Poly’s star third baseman and shortstop recently announced his commitment to the University of California, Santa Barbara to continue his athletic career at their Division I baseball program.
Not only is he excited to be playing around equally skilled players, but he is also looking forward to Santa Barbra’s nice weather and nature. Even since he was four years old, playing baseball in college has always been a goal for Asperger. He’s accumulated over fourteen years of experience, developing his skills on the club teams Club 42, Crown City Sox, PFA and SoCal Bandits. Reaching this exceptional milestone of playing baseball at the next level serves as a checkpoint in his athletic career, paving a new future for both his athletic and academic careers.
Entering his fourth varsity season on Poly’s baseball team, Asperger continues to impact the game and serve as one of the team’s biggest contributors to their success. With an impressive .333 batting average and .552 on-base percentage, Asperger’s consistency at the plate is what separates him from the competition.
He regularly shows up in big moments, tallying 7 runs batted in and 9 runs scored while leading the Panthers to a solid 7-2 record, after only the first month of the spring season.
Sophomore Alex Chui commented on Sean’s leadership saying, “Sean brings his skill and experience to help coach the younger and less experienced players on the team. He’s super supportive of us and leads the team by example.”
Asperger looks to continue his success this season and dominate in Poly’s upcoming games. Though his future DI baseball season at UCSB is imminent, Asperger remains focused on his Poly baseball family. He looks forward to making new memories with his teammates before the season’s end (hopefully with a CIF ring as the cherry on top).
