By Ken Hansard
The Rose Hill baseball squad finds itself in the position of having to replace nine graduates – including two pitchers who went on to pitch at the next level – from last year’s state qualifying team. The Rockets will have to piece together the team with a lot of players who saw limited action a year ago. Luckily, however, they return maybe the most vital piece of the puzzle, senior pitcher and third baseman Colton Roberts.
As one of the only returning regular players, Roberts understands his responsibility to his team and those players who are looking to him for guidance, “I look forward to being a leader on the team and a mentor to the younger guys. As an added bonus, I get to play with my younger brother, who is a sophomore.”
Roberts has built a resume at Rose Hill that should ensure that those younger players will be eager to listen to his advice. As a pitcher, Colton was the 4A leader in strikeouts as both a sophomore and junior, his performance earning him second-team all-state as a pitcher in each of those seasons. He also was named first-team all-league (AVCTL-Division IV) as a designated hitter last year, “That was really fun, because I don’t get to pick up a bat on my summer team!”
Despite his past success, Roberts worked hard in the off-season to improve his craft even more, “I worked a lot to increase velocity and strength while still maintaining flexibility. I spent a lot of time in the gym working with trainers and pitching coaches. I understand that I have a big role to play with my pitching, fielding, and hitting. Hopefully I can provide a spark both offensively and defensively.”
As a sophomore, Colton was the starting quarterback for a Rose Hill team that won districts before losing in the playoffs to eventual state champion Wamego. In fact, his time at quarterback was impressive enough to command the attention of several college recruiters. However, as he grew taller and gained velocity on his fastball, he realized that his future was likely on the diamond, “I loved football, but I made the decision to give it up to focus on my pitching.”
Roberts is also a standout in the classroom. He has a 3.95 G.P.A., and because of Rose Hill’s partnership with Butler County Community College, Colton will graduate with an associate’s degree in science at the same time he graduates from high school in May. He has committed to play baseball at Cowley Community College next year.
