Prep Baseball: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Alexander: As a player looking to get recruited I was intimidated by the recruiting process because early on, I was unfamiliar with what to expect. From a college standpoint, I was looking for a school that valued how I played the game, coaches that valued their connections with their players, and also a program that values development. 

PB: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Where did the school you committed to first see you play?

A: The recruiting process really started to heat up for me August 1st of my junior year because of the new rules. I had attended the PAC Games in Puyallup and played well and had some schools reach out and that’s when I first appeared on UW’s radar. I then realized that it was a school that I really want to attend so I ended up going to a camp there in September of 2023. This really catapulted my relationship with UW because I got the opportunity to display my talent 1 on 1. 

PB: What are you most looking forward to when it comes to playing college baseball?

A: I am most looking forward to competing on a higher level in college and honestly just overall having the college baseball experience. There is no other place I would want to be to pursue my career and grow as a baseball player.

PB: In your opinion who is the best player you have faced in the state? What about them makes for a tough opponent?

A: In my opinion, the best player i’ve faced in Washington State is Karsten Sweum. He is actually my teammate but I face him during high school ball and inter-squads. His ability to land whatever pitch no matter the count, makes him unpredictable. He has a lot of good stuff to work with, especially when he can consistently drop back door sliders in the zone to righty’s and then blow 92 by you from the left side, it’s tough.

PB: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college-caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

A: From a young age I knew that I could be a college-caliber player because God gifted me with a talent to play ball. I was willing to work as hard as possible to make sure my dream became a reality.  I became very serious about playing at the next level at around 12 when I first started playing for Rijo Athletics/Elevate NW, surrounding myself with people who had similar aspirations as me and pushed me significantly to improve my game.

PB: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

A: The advice I would give to people who are striving and grinding to play D1 ball is to play the game with passion. I would also say to embrace the failure in the game, baseball is an extremely hard sport and it’s easy to get frustrated. Realize that to succeed, failure is going to happen over and over, embrace it, and use it as a lesson. Always remember that there is no easy path to success.

PB: What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

A: I wouldn’t say there is necessarily one specific moment in my career that is significant to another, overall I just love being gifted the opportunity to play the game I love every day and being able to travel around the country with my boys putting the NW on the map.

PB: Any game day superstitions or routines? 

A: I am super superstitious even though I try not to be because I don’t want it to throw me off but whether it be my routine on deck, at the plate, putting on my uniform, or not repeating the same arm sleeve or wrist tape combo.

PB: Give us a quick preview of what to expect from your HS team next season. How do you feel your team will be in 2025?

A: In 2025, my high school team is going be filled with a lot of young talent again. We are looking to win another league title and prove that we can succeed in 4A baseball. We had a successful season this year after losing 13 seniors the previous year. We also got a new coach this year so there was a lot of adjustments that we had to make as a program but despite our loss of players and coaching change, we balled out as the overlooked team. We are looking to do damage next year and I’m super excited to see what we can do.