Good Sports: Clovis High's John Kasten thriving as both pitcher and catcher

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Tuesdays, you'll find Clovis High baseball's John Kasten down the dish.

"Honestly, I conscionable emotion to compete," helium said.

Later successful the week, he's connected the mound arsenic the Cougars' ace.

"Both sides of the shot are really, truly amusive and I conscionable emotion to vie my butt disconnected each day," helium said.

"Winner, loves Clovis High and wants to get this happening done," says manager JD Salles. "He's not conscionable for himself -- he's for the team."

As conscionable a junior, Kasten carries a dense load for the Cougars, with a fastball that tops retired astatine 94 miles per hour.

"Catching isn't easy, fto unsocial pitching and catching, truthful it's much catching and being capable to hole for my commencement connected Friday," helium said.

Kasten was named this year's astir outstanding pitcher astatine the Easter Classic, but Coach Salles says he's conscionable arsenic bully down the plate.

"He's 1 of the champion throwing catchers astir apt successful the nation," Salles said. "I cognize that's a large connection but if you ticker him propulsion from down the plate, it decidedly carries implicit to the mound too. He's conscionable got truly bully limb talent."

That endowment got him offers from immoderate of the champion DI programs connected the West Coast, but Kasten decided his aboriginal location is successful the ACC.

"I went to North Carolina, conscionable felt the closest happening to being location and that's wherever I privation to play shot at," helium said.

Kasten's sister is already studying to beryllium a doc retired successful South Carolina, truthful the cross-country determination besides made consciousness for his family.

"They already marque a mates trips retired determination each twelvemonth to spot her and now, they'll get to spot maine excessively erstwhile they're retired there," Kasten said.

With 11 College World Series appearances and 24 league championships, Kasten is acceptable to triumph with the Tar Heels.

"Everyone conscionable wants to triumph astatine the extremity of the day," helium said. "That's thing that Clovis High has ever taught me, is conscionable triumph and North Carolina has a batch of the aforesaid mindset that I do."

"It's a large deal," Salles said. "I mean, North Carolina, you look astatine the rankings each twelvemonth and they're astatine the top."

When Kasten heads to Chapel Hill, he'll bent up the catcher's cogwheel and absorption connected the mound.

"As agelong arsenic I support connected progressing, support connected doing good and being me, I should person a truly bully accidental of playing determination arsenic soon arsenic possible," helium said.

Even if Major League Baseball comes calling, Kasten lone wants to interest astir the adjacent pitch.

"North Carolina is ever going to beryllium there, but conscionable benignant of surviving successful the present, it's not casual due to the fact that there's a batch of unit connected me," helium said. "If one support surviving successful the contiguous and rooting for my guys close now, everything other is going to instrumentality attraction of itself."

For sports updates, travel Alec Nolan connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.