Name: Connor Mansfield
School: Oregon Episcopal School (Education, Soccer, Basketball)/Ida B Wells Highschool (Baseball)
Grad year for high school: 2022
GPA: 4.0 (Unweighted)
Summer team: Undecided
Positions: SS/2B
Throw (right or left): Right
Hit (right or left): Left
1. What are some areas of your game that you have been focusing on lately to improve upon?
One of the most important things that I have been working on is generating more power in my swing. I have always been able to get my bat to the ball. But, as I continue to develop as a player, I want to have the capability to turn singles into doubles and get more extra-base hits as a whole.
2. What are some goals and dreams you hope to reach in the next couple of years?
In regards to baseball, my dream is to compete at the highest level I possibly can. For college, I want to find somewhere where I can academically challenge myself and stay true to who I am as a student-athlete while also getting the opportunity to continue my baseball career at the next level.
3. How long have you been playing baseball and what got you started in the game?
I have been playing baseball since the age of 6. However, my family will say that I started even younger. As an infant/child, I would always watch the MLB/CWS with my dad in our basement, and that is what initially got me interested in the game. I first picked up a bat at the age of 3, and from that moment, I was hooked.
4. What are some of your favorite things about the game of baseball?
One of my favorite things about baseball is how it forces individuals to learn how to take criticism and improve themselves. In my opinion, baseball is the sport where failure is most common. So, the game truly teachers a competitor how to deal with failure and respond adequately. In this way, it has contributed to many of the successes off of the diamond.
5. Who in your life has helped push you to be your best on the field?
To be honest, I think that much of my motivation comes from myself. Since I was little, I have always been one of the most competitive and self-motivated people I know. I have demonstrated this motivation both in the classroom and on the diamond, the court, and the pitch. However, one person that has certainly motivated me to be the best version of myself out on the field is my high school coach, Jeremy Shetler. Coach Shetler holds his program and every player within it to a high standard. The way he runs his program ensures that whether or not members of the program continue their baseball careers outside of high school, they learn essential life lessons about teamwork, responsibility, and hard work.