AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Caprock senior Trae Sauceda signed with Hesston College in Kansas, committing to play baseball for the Larks.
“It means a lot to me. I have a lot of supporters coming out here today, a lot of coaches who believed in me, family for sure, and it just means a lot. I’m just happy to be here,” Sauceda said.
He said his experience at Caprock shaped him as a player.
“Caprock, it was something special. We didn’t have the season we wanted, but I had a lot of guys who supported me and pushed me past what I could have been, and the coaches here, they just wanted me to be bigger and better,” Sauceda said. “It really shows that they care about a player, and if you come to Caprock, they’re really going to support you no matter how well you do.”
Former teammate Brayden Haire, who plays at Hesston, helped recruit Sauceda.
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“I have a former teammate, Brayden Haire [at Hesston], and he really supported it, he said he liked it over there, and the coaching staff was good,” Sauceda said.
He plans to pursue a pre-dental degree.
Toughness on display
Caprock head baseball coach Taylor Allen praised Sauceda’s resilience.
“Coach Olson up in Hesston is going to understand that he’s going to get one tough player,” Allen said.
Allen described an incident at a Dallas tournament when Sauceda took a ball to the face while playing shortstop.
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“Trae took a bad hop playing shortstop and took one right to the grill, and I knew he was hurt. He wasn’t worried about [his] teeth... his question and his concern was, ‘Coach, am I going to get to play again?’” Allen said.
Two weeks after the injury, Sauceda pitched against Tascosa in a game the team needed to win.
“We needed a big win, so we gave the rock to him, and he went out there against a lot of difficult situations. A tight zone, barking from their dugout and almost reaching the pitch count, we found a way to win,” Allen said. “When you talk about mental toughness, there you go. I’m extremely proud and excited.”
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