COMEBACKER GAGNON BACK AT FULL SPEED.Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer NEWHALL - Chris Gagnon could barely walk around campus during the fall. Now it is difficult to keep him from running around the bases. The Hart High senior overcame a strained back that bothered him for months to become the leading hitter on Division II's top-ranked baseball team. Gagnon entered the week batting Batting has several meanings:
He credits his offensive tear to an intense desire to improve on a junior season in which he was counted on mainly for his defense. Gagnon was unable to participate in the majority of fall workouts and missed the beginning of the winter-league season but has since been a regular in the batting cages Noun 1. batting cage - a movable screen placed behind home base to catch balls during batting practice cage baseball equipment - equipment used in playing baseball . He usually uses the hour between his final class and the start of practice to work on his hitting. ``I just wanted to hit a lot better than I did last year,'' Gagnon said. ``I wasn't the strongest hitter. I batted eighth in the lineup A criminal investigation technique in which the police arrange a number of individuals in a row before a witness to a crime and ask the witness to identify which, if any, of the individuals committed the crime. and didn't do very well. I really wanted to improve my hitting. I put a lot of time and effort into that. ``I think it's the combination of the extra practice and confidence. If you go up to the plate thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm not going to get a hit,' you're probably not going to get a hit. If you go up there confident you can hit this guy, you do a lot better.'' Gagnon has improved his ability to hit to all fields and hit with two strikes; nearly half of his hits have come with two strikes. The Indians are impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: he's even playing. Gagnon injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. his back during the summer and the pain got worse despite the fact he visted several doctors. ``If you had seen him in September, he could barely walk around campus,'' Hart coach Jim Ozella said. ``I remember talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to him one time and asking him when it hurt. He said it hurts now, and he was just standing there. ... ``He's worked hard to get back to where he is. When you're trying to come back and get in shape and there's no game on the horizon, it's hard to motivate yourself. It's easy to be motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo in February when you've got games right in front of you. But he kept plugging away and plugging away. That says a lot for him. ``It serves as motivation to any young player: If you stay at it and keep working, success comes.'' Hard work has been a staple 1. (language) STAPLE - A programming language written at Manchester (University?) and used at ICL in the early 1970s for writing the test suites. STAPLE was based on Algol 68 and had a very advanced optimising compiler. 2. of Gagnon's career. ``I was never really a gifted athlete,'' he said. ``I could do the job, but I always had to work really hard.'' His motivation stems from his parents. His father, Terry, coached him during youth leagues and taught Gagnon, 18, much of what he knows about the sport. Gagnon played third base last season but splits time between first base and designated hitter designated hitter n. Baseball Abbr. DH A player designated at the start of a game to bat instead of the pitcher in the lineup. Noun 1. this year. Wanting to go along with the Indians' team-first philosophy, Gagnon said he'll do whatever is asked of him. ``He's a guy who last year filled a spot as a varsity contributor,'' Ozella said. ``This year, he's taken it to the next level. We're really happy with what he's done.'' GAGNON FILE Name: Chris Gagnon Team: Hart baseball Position: Infield Infield is a widely used term in sports terminology, its meaning depends on in what sport it is used. In baseball In baseball the baseball diamond plus a rounded region beyond it (see diagram), usually clear of grass, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-covered Year:Senior Quote: ``Average is great, but I could go 0 for the rest of the season and it wouldn't matter as long as the team keeps winning. The team is the most important thing.'' CAPTION(S): box Box: Gagnon File (see text) |
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