With the pitch on its way to the plate, senior Aidan Kanazawa blasts the ball into the right-center gap. The outfielder throws it in just as Kanazawa rounds second—the throw doesn’t come in time, he is safe at third. Kanazawa is officially committed to playing Division 1 baseball at Valparaiso University.

Kanazawa is a right-handed, switch-hitting shortstop for the Mustangs. Over the summer, he plays for the Naperville Renegades American team and gets to travel around the country, competing against top teams. Kanazawa has received considerable interest from schools in the area, but he ultimately chose to commit to the University of Valparaiso, located in Indiana.

“Absolutely beautiful campus. The coaches were really cool throughout the whole process, and it had the stuff that I wanted to that could make me a better person, but also a better baseball player,” Kanazawa said.

Special services teacher and head varsity baseball coach Darren Orel has been Kanzawa’s coach for the past two years. He thinks Valporasio will be a good fit for Kanazawa due to its smaller size and proximity to home.

“So I feel like for him, it’s a good fit because I think it’s a good opportunity for him to go out and get opportunities to play early, you know, as even maybe even as a freshman. I think it’s close to home, too, where his family can see him play a little bit more consistently,” Orel said.

Kanazawa has built many relationships throughout his high school career. He not only values the sport of baseball itself but also the people he has been with along the way.

“One of my favorite things, just like all the guys have got to meet and continue playing sports with, like that I got to meet through football, and just continue to have another sport with them. Like those are, to me, my closest friends, and getting to play another sport with them is absolutely awesome,” Kanazawa said.

Kanazawa finished the top three on his team in batting average, stolen bases and fielding percentage, with a .403 batting average, 54 stolen bases and a .927 fielding percentage. Kanazawa also had seven home runs during the season. Orel calls him a “utility guy.”

“He’s almost like a utility guy; he is flexible enough to be able to play lots of different positions. His ability to switch hits, his ability to bunt, he can run so that, you know, he can score runs and create havoc in different ways,” Orel said.

At the start of his freshman year, Kanazawa joined the Mustangs’ football team. He is now on the varsity team, starting at wide receiver. Orel believes this is what makes Kanazawa versatile in playing baseball.

“I think his versatility playing other sports, I think he’s just, he’s sports savvy, you know, and I think that helps him across sports that’s why I’ve always been a big proponent of multiple sport athletes. I think that diversity helps in lots of different ways,” Orel said.

Last year, the Mustangs went to the IHSA 4A playoffs as the 12th seed. They lost 5-3, going into two extra innings against Oswego East. Kanazawa batted first and played shortstop that game; he recalls it as one of his favorite baseball memories.

“Probably the playoff game, as much as it ended badly, just the atmosphere and the game was absolutely so much fun to be around,” Kanazawa said.

The Mustangs are hosting baseball tryouts during the first week of March.