Allyn's Lucas family baseballs around the country

Since he was a baby, Kayden Lucas has had a bat and a ball in his hands. The 12-year-old still has a bat and ball in his hands, but now he takes it with him around the country, playing baseball for two teams.

The Allyn native has traveled to eight states and 10 cities and played 100 games this past season.

"I have a lot of fun because I always think of baseball day in and day out," Lucas told the Journal. "I have a love for the game, not a like for the game. Every time I am around or playing, I have a good time on the field and it's the best time ever."

Lucas plays a few different positions, including centerfield, pitcher and second base, but his favorite is shortstop because it makes him feel like a leader on the field. Perhaps that is why Fernando Tatis Jr. is his favorite player, along with the San Diego Padres, whom Tatis plays for.

"I had Javier Baez as my favorite player, but then he got a little too cocky and a little too selfish," Kayden said. "I switched to a different player and I saw that Tatis plays shortstop also and that the Padres were his team so I just went with that team and the player."

Kayden said his favorite baseball movie is "The Sandlot."

Lucas plays for New Level in Puyallup and the Riptide in San Diego. He guest-plays for other teams, including a team in Viera, Florida, the Shockwave in Gig Harbor, PNW Elite in Seattle and Boombox in Murrieta, California.

He has been scouted by other teams while at tournaments, allowing him the opportunity to play across the country.

"We went down to Viera, Florida, and Kayden was part of the Southwest team," Mike explained. "He was playing and he was batting, he led the whole tournament in doubles, triples and I think he batted over .800 in that tournament. He pitched, I think he only gave up one run in the whole tournament. We're sitting there playing the last game and I'm looking around and there's a bunch of people on the bench watching our game with a bunch of other games going. We're like 'What's going on here?' We knew they were there to watch somebody. At the end of the game, three teams, one from Tampa, one from Louisiana and the one from California, Riptide, they came to us and asked for our cards and they wanted him to be a pickup player for some of the major tournaments. So that's how it started."

Megan and Kayden flew back to Washington after that, landed, packed another bag, and hopped on a plane to San Diego that night and Kayden played a doubleheader with the Riptide the next day in an international tournament in San Diego.

In order to play games in two different states across the country in two days, there is some love of the game by the Lucas family.

"When he was a baby he was never without a bat and ball in hand," Mike and Megan Lucas, Kayden's parents, wrote in an email to the Journal. "Everywhere he went, his stuff went with him. He would take naps with them. We could not wait until he turned 4 years old to sign him up for Little League baseball. We knew he would love it, as he had such a talent and amazing hand-eye coordination for a child so young. We felt there was a calling for him in this great game indeed."

Meghan enjoys watching baseball and attending games, and she played softball when she was younger. She used to be able to practice with Kayden when he was younger, but he now throws too hard for her.

"I have more respect for those that play and what they endure out there on the field," Meghan wrote. "It is intense and they do it all with such ease some days."

Mike loved football first and baseball second growing up. They both like watching their son play baseball.

"For us as parents, it's extremely rewarding to watch his love for the game blossom as he grows more and more in love with the greatest game of all time," Mike and Meghan wrote. "He amazes us as he continues such a dedication to the game and the work that goes into the game. He stays so consistent with workouts and training two to three times a week with Coach Travis and Coach Aubrey, who have a lot of time invested in his performance and outcome. We have witnessed his hard work from those weekly sessions and now he has seen how the hard work he devoted is paying off and he is reaping the benefits from the sessions with his coaches. He has been to countless camps and clinics as well and even though in the moment, you think all these repetitive movements will not help you, they do, it then becomes second nature.

"You know as parents you have done him well when he realizes for himself, he did that to improve, no one else did! Especially when we attend some of the tournaments and his batting average is consistently around .700 for 11 years old. On his local team, his batting average was around .500 and was the youngest person on his team. There were times he led teams with double plays and golden glove performances during tournaments."

It certainly would appear that Kayden's hard work has paid off with five trophies, 24 medals, nine championship rings, two MVP pins and several player of the game balls, according to his parents. Kayden said his favorite place he's played baseball was Cooperstown, New York, site of the Baseball Hall of Fame, where Kayden's team placed 27th out of 60 teams.

"The history of baseball is huge and you can see the Hall of Fame," Kayden wrote. "In Cooperstown, New York, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for kids and parents. I played and it was a really fun experience. We didn't make it so they gave us these little rings that have colorful gems in them and it says 'Hall of Fame' on it and when you lose, when we lost, we went to the Hall of Fame with the whole team."

Playing baseball all over the country can be tough, but is mostly fun for Meghan and Mike.

"It has been rewarding for all of us to enjoy our family time locally as well as out of state together," Meghan and Mike wrote. "We have tried our hardest to turn each trip into a family vacation opportunity together and we are all living in the moment with each blessing and opportunity he has been given this last year. It can be stressful to try and figure out how to make everything work with school, keeping grades up, maintaining workouts, missing work for parents, keeping a sibling entertained. Kayden does such a good job being a big brother to his sister who comes to all his events and is his biggest supporter."

Kayden hopes to one day play professional baseball for the San Diego Padres. He has attended five Major League Baseball games, some minor league games and his favorite stadium is Petco Park in San Diego.

In the near future, he wants to play travel baseball with his teams and continue to improve his skills.

"I feel like I would try to stay with the same team I have right now because they have a good program and all that and the school, I don't want to do school ball as much, but I would like to try but for me, I would prefer to stay with travel ball with my team I have right now and to have more opportunities," Kayden said.

Meghan and Mike are proud of the baseball player and person Kayden is and is becoming.

"It's been a busy year for us," Mike said. "It's been amazing for a kid to come out of a small little town of Allyn to just be wanted and picked up by teams and flying around to go play, it's just been a great year for us."

Author Bio

Matt Baide, Reporter

Shelton-Mason County Journal & Belfair Herald
Email: [email protected]

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