From the ripe age of 10, junior Keyan Park found his passion in pitching after several years of playing baseball. As Park continued his way through the art of pitching, his confidence and determination allowed him to play to his full potential no matter what team was in front of him.
Park excels at playing well under pressure and has great control over the ball, allowing him to build his way towards becoming a star player. Joining the team as a freshman, Park had some experience and projectability. It was clear he would be a contributor to the varsity team in future years, and now as a junior, he has stepped up into that role, according to boys’ baseball coach Bryan Resnick.
“I think he has great composure on the mound,” Resnick said. “No matter who he’s facing, he’s always got good demeanor. He’s confident, and he’s not afraid to throw any pitch in any count against any hitter, so I think the confidence definitely shows.”
After 13 years of playing baseball, one key skill that Park tends to bring into his pitching is confidence. Park said that it is important to control your emotions during a game.
“Mentality is probably the biggest thing in pitching,” Park said. “I used to always lose my temper. Over time, I started to learn how to control my emotions. Your pitches matter, and they’re important. But I think when the way a person carries themselves and approaches the game, that’s how they’re good.”
Throughout his baseball career, Park has not only developed a stronger, more resilient mindset, but has also continuously refined his skills on the field, becoming a more confident and highly capable player with each game.
“I’ve seen Keyan play for over half of my life, and his progression has been really fun to watch, and I love playing behind him,” junior Yoshi Tsuge said. “Keyan is very good with both sides hitting and pitching, so I wouldn’t say there is one thing that stands out. He is overall just really good at mostly everything. Last year’s start against Katella was one of the best I’ve seen Keyan pitch throughout the years.”
Park said he is the player he is today because of his past junior varsity coach, Kevin Osaki, who taught him both how to be a good pitcher and the importance of having control over your mind.
“As long as I just stay confident, I think that’s when good things will happen,” Park said. “As soon as I lose confidence, then things can go bad. [However] making mistakes is okay because you could just learn from them.”
