By Ken Hansard
The Wellington Crusaders’ baseball team finished 18-10 last season, losing in the regional championship to a Pratt Greenbacks team that would go on to take second at state. The Crusaders were playing without their quarterback on the field, then sophomore catcher Hank Shinliver, who missed the biggest game of the year due to a burst appendix. Naturally, the timing was extremely difficult for Shinliver to accept, and now that he is healthy, he has some lofty goals in mind for his junior season, “I aim to hit over .350 and have 30 hits, but the big goal I have my eye on this year is winning a state title.”
Shinliver has been highly decorated as a baseball player and athlete since his high school career began. As a freshman, he was named to the AVCTL Division IV All-League First Team as a utility player, and aside from last year’s speed bump with the medical issue, things have only trended upwards from that point.
Shinliver’s disappointment with not being able to finish out his sophomore year has driven him even harder towards his goals, “During the offseason I have been working really hard to get stronger and more explosive, so that my pop time improves. I also felt I needed to get bigger and stronger. I have put on 25 pounds since last year and gained a lot of strength.”
As a sophomore, Shinliver was named Honorable Mention at catcher, but as a junior, he would like to raise the bar when it comes to his role on the team and his productivity, “As the starting catcher, I have a big leadership role, and I keep everyone up.”
