Name: Hunter Herb
High school: Tri-Valley High School
Grade: Junior
Sport: Baseball
Accomplishments: Herb went 3-for-3 with two triples, two runs scored and three RBIs in the Dawgs’ 8-2 victory over top-seeded Marian in Saturday’s District 11 Class A baseball semifinals at Blue Mountain High School. For the season, Herb is hitting .420 (29-for-69) with 13 runs scored, 19 RBIs and seven doubles.
Age: 17
Hometown: Hegins
Family: Father, Craig; mother, Tamie; brother, Chase
Athletes I admire: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies; J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Favorite sports teams: Penn State football, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Eagles
What age did you start playing baseball: 5
Club team(s): West End Outlaws
Talk about helping Tri-Valley reach the District 11 championship game for fifth straight season: “It’s a big thing to do every year. It’s our goal every year to get to the district championship game. This year, we have a whole bunch of young kids, and it’s really special that we can do it again.”
Talk about moving from catcher to first base. Was it a hard adjustment?: “I moved from catcher because I hurt my arm at the beginning of the year, and my arm wasn’t strong enough to catch. The move was quite simple. In the spring I do both catcher and first base drills, so I had some background. It wasn’t too bad.”
What makes playing at Coca-Cola Park so special?: “It’s a big stadium, a professional, Triple-A stadium. You don’t get to do that too often in your life, and I’m real fortunate that I’ll get to play there three years in a row.”
Post-graduation plans: Undecided.
Past winners
• March 31 — Sara Tobin, Pottsville, softball
• April 6 — Rayan Green, Jim Thorpe, track and field
• April 14 — Ryan Fink, Schuylkill Haven, baseball
• April 21 — Mackenzie Hasenauer, Pine Grove, softball
• April 28 — McKayla Lally, Pine Grove, track and field
• May 6 — Dean Stramara, Blue Mountain, baseball
• May 12 — Taryn Wilson, Tri-Valley, softball
• May 19 — Carly Gregas, North Schuylkill, track and field