Player Spotlight: LHP Hunter Swift (Staley, 2016)
June 23, 2015
Shon Plack
Missouri Scouting Director
Hunter Swift (Staley, 2016) is a 5-foot-8 172-pound left-handed pitcher that led Staley to the Class 5 State Championship game. In a relief appearance against Liberty North to send the Falcons to the state quarterfinal game, Swift touched 85 mph and was later named Honorable-Mention All-State as a pitcher. He was a member of Team Missouri in the PBR Future Games last summer and recently attended the Class of 2016 Games on June 9 in St. Louis. Currently, Swift is suiting up for Mac N Seitz Hobbs 18U team this summer.
Swift had a chance to answer a few questions about his recruiting process.
PBR: Are you looking for anything in particular in a school?
Swift: I would like to major in Criminal Justice so that is a must and accommodations for my Dyslexia would help ensure my academic success. A wish list item would be the opportunity to be a two way player.
PBR: Describe the atmosphere at T.R. Hughes for the Class 5 State Championship. What were your high school statistics? Name some players that played a key role in Staley’s success.
Swift: The atmosphere at T.R. Hughes was intense. I tried to block out everything but the fact that I was there to play ball. I had a 2.4 ERA overall and my relief ERA was 0. I pitched a total of 50.67 innings. My coach had a great deal of faith in me this year as I started against 6 of the top 10 schools in the state. The amazing thing about the Staley team this year was that all of the players contributed to our success. If I had to pick one player, it would be Sean Cooley, my catcher. Without a trusted catcher behind the plate, a pitcher is worthless.
PBR: What are your goals for your senior season?
Swift: #1 is to win state. Everything else will fall into place when we do that.
PBR: What travel team do you play for?
Swift: My summer travel team is MNS Hobbs 18u. We played our first tournament this past weekend in St. Louis. We will be in Atlanta the end of June and Arkansas mid-July. We play every weekend somewhere.
PBR: Describe your experience at PBR’s Future Games last August.
Swift: It was awesome. There were more scouts in one place than I have ever seen. It was an honor to represent Missouri in that way.
PBR: Do you play any other sports?
Swift: played basketball until the 8th grade and football through my sophomore year of high school and even lettered but baseball has always been my passion.
PBR: What are your ACT and GPA?
Swift: My ACT is a 22 and my GPA is a 3.43. I have Dyslexia but I attribute a great deal of my success to this challenge. I have to work harder and smarter to compete.
For More Missouri News
- MO Final 2015 MHSBCA Team Rankings6.23.15
- MO Player Spotlight: C Alex Wheeler (Stockton, 2016) 6.22.15
- MO 2015 Class 1 MHSBCA All-State Teams6.21.15
- MO 2015 Class 2 MHSBCA All-State Teams6.21.15
- MO 2015 Class 3 MHSBCA All-State Teams6.20.15
- MO 2015 Class 4 MHSBCA All-State Teams6.20.15
- MO 2015 Class 5 MHSBCA All-State Teams6.19.15
- MO Q&A with Drury Commit, OF Riley Herron (Kickapoo, 2016) 6.19.15