A key member of Westminster’s Class 3A state championship team in 2011, few players had a more consistent season at the plate than Connor Einertson.  The left-handed hitting outfielder batted .520 with 51 hits, 12 doubles, a triple, three home runs, seven stolen bases, and 39 RBI, and garnered Prep Baseball Report Missouri Third Team All-State honors.

This offseason, the unsigned senior is training harder than ever as he looks to capitalize on last season’s success and hopefully guide Westminster to another Class 3A title.  PBR Missouri recently caught up with Connor, who shared his thoughts on last season’s championship team, recruiting, and his offseason training regimen. 

PBR: Last season you had the opportunity to be part of a Westminster team that won the Class 3A state title and finished the season with a 27-4 record.  What was it like to be part of such a successful team?

The experience of winning state was the peak of my athletics career.  I had never been so pumped to play a game in my life.  Going into a game knowing that every player in the lineup is going to give 100% is something special.  The 2011 Westminster Christian Academy baseball team was my favorite team I have ever played for.  Everybody on the team loved baseball and loved improving so we were able to get all of our work done while doing something we loved.

PBR: In the Class 3A Semi-final game against Kennett, you belted your third homer of the season and helped guide your team to a 15-9 victory at Meador Park in Springfield.  What was it like coming through in such a crucial spot?

Everyone's bats were on fire more than ever in the game against Kennett.  After barely taking the lead, they made a pitching change.  I saw the new pitcher seemed to be throwing a lot of fastballs in his warm-ups so I was ready to approach the plate thinking fastball.  Hitting the home run was a feeling I will never forget.  It was different than the home runs I had hit before.  After hitting this one I was not satisfied, the game was not over and Kennett was a good team.  Not settling was a main reason that our team beat Kennett because players kept coming through in clutch situations.

PBR: Last season you emerged as one of the top hitters in the state by batting .520 with 51 hits, 12 doubles, a triple, three home runs, seven stolen bases and 39 RBI.  What do you attribute your success at the plate to?

Before last year I never lifted many weights.  My sophomore year I was about 155-pounds, but after that season I started to hit the gym.  Last season I was able to get my weight up to 185-pounds.  Having more strength allowed me to weight on pitches longer and be quicker to the ball.  I also was more confident approaching the plate just because of more experience.

PBR: Do you feel that playing in St. Louis and facing the competition you have has prepared you for the various recruiting trips and showcases that you’ve attended?

I think that St. Louis has many good baseball players but like anywhere, good pitching is hard to come by.  As a hitter the only variable that changes is the pitcher.  I feel like St. Louis has a lot of good hitters but not enough great pitchers.  Then again, going to these tournaments out of town, teams are going to have more selective players because traveling generally attracts the more serious baseball players.  We traveled to the best tournaments that we could and faced a lot of tough pitching with wood bats.  I still had some success but not as often as in high school baseball.  

PBR: What kind of interest have you drawn from colleges thus far? Are there any specific schools that have expressed considerable interest?

I really didn’t attend that many showcases.  It’s hard to say which colleges are actually interested in me from emails.  As far as phone calls, I stayed in touch with Depauw, Wash U, and Kenyon all last fall.  All of those schools have expressed a lot of interest in me and that is why I havn’t really branched out to searching for other schools.

PBR: What type of program would you like to play at? What is most important to you: Caliber of program, coaching staff, academics, etc…?

The most important variable to me is the education.  I want to go to a college where I can play baseball but it will not limit me in the classroom.  I plan to go the pre-med route in college and because it is a more difficult major it is going to require alot of my time.  The caliber of the program is also very important.  I want to go to a school where baseball means something.  I want to be able to see that the players care and are not just playing baseball to take up their time.

I would also like to be a part of a successful team.  So far, all of the coaches I have been in contact with seem to be great coaches and great men.  They all have high values and understand that students coming to their schools are there mainly for academics, which I like.  

PBR: What do you hope to accomplish this fall and offseason on an individual level?

This fall I spent 5 days a week at the gym and put on even more weight and got myself up 195-pounds.  I also continued to play with the St. Louis Gamers and have been working out in the cages as well.  This is the first winter I have ever long tossed twice a week and hope to see the benefits when season comes.  I have gotten rid of some of the "noise" in my swing and made it more quick and compact.

PBR: Considering that Westminster will be returning a lot of key players in 2012, do you believe that the team can potentially repeat as Class 3A champions?

Since we are returning a lot of players, I know that they will present the same effort they did last year.  Winning state will certainly be a goal and I believe that it is attainable if we play with the same intensity that we did last season.  Winning state again would be the ultimate way to cap off my senior year.  We have younger players stepping up and they are going to need to fill some big roles that left last year, but I believe they can do it.