Good Sports: Kingsburg High pitcher committed to LSU with eyes on MLB

KINGSBURG, Calif. (KFSN) -- At 6'7", Jensen Hirschkorn is heads supra different shot players his age, and we're not conscionable talking astir his height.

"I usually get 10-15 emails a time from scouts wanting to cognize however his advancement is and erstwhile he's going to throw," says manager Jim Cranford.

MLB scouts person been each implicit Jensen, showing up to games immoderate clip he's scheduled to pitch.

"I cognize a batch of radical person him precocious connected their draught boards," Cranford said.

MLB's website has Jensen successful the apical 30 prospects for this year's draft, and the tenth-best subordinate coming retired of precocious school.

Coach Cranford describes his pitcher arsenic a generational talent.

"You know, he's (Jensen) a once-in-a-lifetime kid," Cranford said. "I've been doing this for 40 years. He's the champion 1 I've coached, and they conscionable don't travel astir similar him."

Jensen isn't the lone Hirschkorn to travel done Kingsburg. His duplicate brothers besides played for the Vikings and are some playing assemblage ball.

"They're immoderate of the hardest workers I know," Jensen said. "Learning from them and taking what I tin from them, and conscionable manager Cranford ever keeping america disciplined, moving hard and making definite we gain everything."

Jensen's dada is Oscar Hirschkorn, the longtime caput manager astatine Fresno Pacific. For Coach Cranford, it's hard to retrieve a clip without the Hirschkorn sanction successful his lineup.

"The archetypal clip I saw Jensen, helium was a sixth grader," Cranford said. "We needed immoderate players for a summertime league game, and helium came up and played. In a double-header, helium went 6-for-6 and played similar 5 antithetic positions. Not to offend his brothers, but helium was the champion subordinate connected that tract arsenic a sixth grader."

Now a senior, Jensen is committed to play astatine LSU, 1 of the champion shot programs successful the country.

"It's been a imagination travel true," Jensen said. "You know, conscionable dreaming astir it since I was a small kid. Just wanted to vie with the champion players."

Back successful Kingsburg, Jensen's teammates can't contradict the interaction he's made.

"He's a person connected the field," says Jonah Lopez. "He's a person disconnected it, too. You spot Jensen downtown walking around. All the kids privation to enactment a small better."

The tiny municipality fable - acceptable to marque it big.

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