Junior catcher Sergio Rey is having a breakout season this year for the Pasadena High baseball team. He is batting .404 with two doubles and 10 RBIs.
But for Rey, none of this has happened over night. It has been the product of several years of hard work and dedication.
“I transferred over as a new student during freshman year,” Rey said. “I didn’t really know anybody, came in here with no friends. But thanks to baseball I came in and I made lots of friends.”
The biggest stumbling block early on for Rey was in the classroom as he said he had trouble as a freshman getting accustomed to high school academic life.
“My freshman year I started out kind of rough, but now I’m getting more into it,” he said. “I’m getting more into the growing up phase of it. It sort of hit me more sophomore year. I did summer school and (Pasadena baseball coach Mike) Parisi talked to me. He got me to realize how important grades are. He said the talent is there, but the grades will make you go further.”
Rey said Parisi gave him the encouragement to do better in school and on the diamond.
“He’s taught me a lot, like hard work pays off,” Rey said of Parisi. “Freshman year I wasn’t the best, but I can see it’s starting to develop now.”
And Rey had to work himself into a regular baseball position as that wasn’t in the plans at first.
“I wasn’t the catcher at first, but I worked my way into being the catcher my freshman year,” he said. “Since then I’ve been the regular catcher. All that hard work paid off. I just got to keep it up and give my best effort.”
And there is one aspect of catching Rey said he particularly loves.
“Throwing guys out is probably the best thing there is,” he said. “Guys start testing you and you throw them out. It’s nice.”
He added you have to have a certain mentality to play behind the plate.
“As catcher you’re involved in every play,” he said. “It’s intense. You got to be positive all the time, no matter if it’s going negative or not. You got to have a positive attitude about everything.”
And Rey said he enjoys working with the Bulldog pitchers.
“I’m pretty good at handling them,” he said. “And you got to have a pretty good bond with your pitchers. They got to have the confidence and they got to trust you. For the most part they trust me pretty well.”
Parisi said Rey is just a joy to have on the team.
“Sergio Rey is our true leader,” Parisi said. “He is a special player to coach. He is the most respectful hard working and considerate player I have ever coached. Someone I would let my daughter date.”
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
-Story and photo by Shel Segal
