By Matt Browning
Chaparral’s Conner Hostetler was one of the top players in Class 3A last season. He hit .453 with 23 stolen bases, while also carrying a 1.70 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 49 innings.
What can he do to make his senior season even better?
“One area that I’d like to improve on this year is hitting for power,” Hostetler said. “I’ve been watching a lot of videos of my swing from last year so I know exactly what I’m doing with my hands and hips and figuring out how to adjust. I’ve also spent a lot of time in the weight room this offseason to increase my strength, and I’ve been focusing on eating healthy and increasing my protein intake. My individual goals are to have an ERA under 1.5, hit over .450, and get at least 30 stolen bases this season. I also want to be a leader on our team and help the freshmen get acclimated to high school baseball.”
Hostetler, who has signed to play baseball at Tabor next season, is excited about the Roadrunners’ prospects heading into 2025.
“I’m excited that we have all but one starter returning this year, and for the amount of varsity playing experience we’re bringing into this season,” Hostetler said. “We’ve been a young team for the past few seasons but we’re on the other side of that now. So I think with our experience we can put together a great regular season and have a good chance of making a big push into the postseason.”
