Note: Summer and baseball have always seemed to fit together perfectly. For fans of the game, summer is a time to enjoy the sights, sounds and atmosphere of America's pastime, but for college baseball players, it is a time for development. College players across the country, including members of the Santa Clara baseball squad, have already left for their summer experiences just weeks after finals as they begin preparation for the 2015 season.
After a much-improved 2014 campaign on the Mission Campus, Bronco ball players now occupy rosters throughout the nation in summer leagues that are helping them grow as players. Santa Clara is represented in twelve different leagues from the Bay Area to New England, while others play for independent teams. The "All Summer Long" series, in its fourth season, will chronicle the Broncos as they play in various summer leagues nationwide.
By Dylan Lynch
Haysville, KS - With a solid freshman season under his belt, Luke Huerta has been taking advantage of this summer to better himself as a player in addition to experiencing a different lifestyle in Kansas. Playing for the Haysville Aviators in the Walter Johnson Baseball League, the middle infielder for the Broncos looks forward to a run at the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series with his team.
Huerta, a rising sophomore from Castro Valley High School, recorded a .364 batting average last season with the Broncos and he looks to continue to improve over the summer.
"My goal is to step on campus in fall bigger, faster, and stronger than I have ever been before" said Huerta. "Sparta (the team's training program) gives us an edge on our competition around the country and I'm using that to my advantage."
Having gone through a season at the Division 1 level, Huerta feels he will be more prepared both mentally and physically for the his sophomore season as he now has a better understanding of the rigors of the season and the toll it can take on his body.
Going from Santa Clara to Kansas has been an interesting transition for Huerta who had previously been to the Midwest only once, though never to Kansas.
"I've definitely noticed some big differences; the weather is unpredictable here, it rains one day and the next it is 100 degrees." Huerta adds, "the pace of life out here is also a lot slower than in California."
Huerta admits this change of pace has introduced him to some new and exciting experiences.
In his off time this summer, Huerta and teammates have taken road trips around the Midwest to catch some professional baseball games.
"The first one I took was to Busch Stadium in St. Louis to watch the Cardinals play the Pirates and I got to see Kolten Wong hit a walk-off homer that night. The second road trip was to Kansas City to watch the Royals play the tigers and I got to watch the best hitter in the game, Miguel Cabrera."
The Aviators have recorded a 26-16 record thus far and have their sights set on making the post season tournament that eventually leads to the NBC World Series. After batting .280 with 26 hits and 16 RBIs for the Aviators, Huerta says that he is looking forward to going up against some of the best competition in the country at the tournament.
"We're on track to make the tournament so I'm really excited to get to play at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. There is a lot of history there and a number of the game's greats have played on that field."
With his fellow Broncos playing in different summer leagues nationwide, Huerta has been keeping up with his teammates on a few different social media platforms.
"I've been keeping up with the guys on Twitter and Instagram and talking to them on there. Also, if you're friends with Stevie Berman on Snapchat it's hard to feel like he ever left."
