Hard-working.
Team first.
Committed.
Humble.
Soft-spoken.
Once you meet San Tan Foothills High School sophomore star pitcher/utility player Trevyn Badger it’s easy to see why his role model, on and off the field, is Arizona Diamondbacks’ first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Badger’s successes on the diamond and in the classroom have come early. He was named the 2A Metro South Region Player of the Year, while keeping a 4.6 grade-point-average. Finding the right time balance between both can be stressful but the teenager has cracked the key to success entering his second season of high school.
“A lot of late nights,” Badger said to Sports360AZ.com with a chuckle. “A lot of it is getting the work done in the classroom so I don’t have to stay up late at home.” Opposing coaches may be staying up late in the coming years trying to figure out a way to stop Badger whose bat (.582 average, 12 doubles, four triples and 28 runs batted in), is just as lethal as his right arm (7-1, 1.82 earned run average, 72 strikeouts and five complete games as a front-end starter for the Sabercats).
Those types of gaudy numbers would be impressive for a senior and, to most, almost unthinkable for a freshman.
“I knew he’d have a good season,” San Tan Foothills head coach Ryan Sutterby explained to Sports360AZ.com. “But to have the numbers that he did, especially offensively, that was a bit of a surprise. He led our region in hits, stolen bases and doubles as a 15-year-old playing against 18 and 19-year-olds. That was quite a feat.”
Badger’s love for the game was evident, even as a young boy. “I first started [playing] when I was six years old, he said. “It attracted me. It’s a team sport. In baseball, everybody has to contribute. That’s how you win.”
Many around the STFHS program believe Badger, who is already 5-foot-11, 140 pounds and wears size 12 shoes, is nowhere close to scratching his potential which is scary considering his early prep production at the plate and on the mound. He leads the 12-2 Sabercats in runs batted in (16), doubles (four) and triples (four), while sparking on the mound, not allowing a run to go with his 4-0 record and 39 strikeouts.
“I think he has a high ceiling,” Sutterby said. “With his work ethic and his commitment to the program…he makes the whole team better just by how hard he works. That’s huge.”
Huge like Badger’s future, on and off the field.
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