BV’s King looking for regional repeat

MANLIUS — Bureau Valley senior John King is ready to go out in style.

After a successful three-sport career at BV, King will be suiting up for his last season under the Storm banner as he looks to help the Storm baseball team to a second-straight regional title, after claiming their first ever regional crown last year.

“We’re looking to do something in baseball this year,” King said. “We’re going to be young, but it would be nice to repeat what we did last year.”

King, who hit what proved to be the game winning home run in the top of the sixth inning in last year’s regional championship, said winning BV’s first baseball regional was the highlight of his athletic career with the Storm so far.

“Beating Princeton in the regional is by far on the top of all my memories,” King said.

The senior outfielder and pitcher said this year’s Storm squad has a great team makeup.

“We probably get along better than last year’s team,” King said. “The group of guys we got is a good mesh, so it will be fun and a good way to go out.”

Like he has for the past five years, King worked out with former big-leaguer Tom Gilles during the off season to get ready for the spring baseball slate. Working with the former Blue Jays pitcher, who lives in Peoria, helps open King’s eyes to the intricacies of the game.

“He’s taught me so much that I couldn’t even begin to tell you,” King said. “He turned me from a very, very average baseball player to maybe a little above average.

“He taught me a lot, just teaching the game, a lot of the mental aspects I have to work on,” King said. “I think it’s helped me to be able to help out other people almost with all the stuff he’s taught me.”

Another coach who has really helped his baseball game is his father, Don, who is an assistant for the Storm baseball squad.

King said a pre-game speech from his father really helped the Storm embrace their underdog role in last year’s regional title game.

“My dad actually gave a speech to us before the game about being underdogs, and how being the underdog is almost the best spot to be in sports,” King said. “We all sat there as a team, and it really seemed like we turned our season around at that point.

“We should have been a little better than we were last year. I think at that point, we finally grew up and understood what we had to do; and that’s when we started playing,” King said.

King, The BCR Baseball Player of the Year in 2008, said he enjoys sharing the bond of Storm baseball with his dad.

“It’s really fun because we get to talk about it at night and go over strategies. I really enjoy that,” King said. “My dad’s taught me so much about understanding the game and growing as a man; I think that’s what I appreciate the most about having him on the team.”

After graduation, King will attend Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and plans to one day be a history teacher and coach. He said playing on the baseball team at Coe is a dream come true.

“I’m really excited ... I really like the coaches and the kind of people who are out there. I think I’m going to fit in really good over there with what they’re trying to do,” King said.

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