By Matt Browning

Last season Brooks Richardson of Salina Central was selected as a first team all-league designated hitter. He hit .481 with 23 extra base hits and 66 runs batted in.

All of this was accomplished as a sophomore.

“I’ve been fortunate to receive accolades and honors because of the experiences I’ve had starting at a young age,” Richardson said. “My summer team is strong, consisting of some of the best area players. We have had the opportunity of playing in many states against great competition and winning a state title at age 13. Experiencing some success at a young age has given me the drive to want to achieve more.”

It’s difficult to envision his numbers getting better, but Richardson focused on just that this past offseason. As a team, Salina Central went 14-9 last season, so Richardson is hoping for bigger things as a team too.

“As a hitter I spent time working on adjusting to off-speed pitches,” Richardson said, “and to drive more baseballs into the right center gap for extra base hits. Like most teams, to win our league and advance on to the postseason to play in the 5A state tournament would be our ultimate goal.”

Even though he has two years of high school left, Richardson is already preparing himself for collegiate baseball.

“I am working to maintain a good GPA in hopes of receiving both academic and athletic scholarships with the goal of playing baseball in college,” Richardson said.