In a season where the baseball team did not meet pre-season expectations and is close to being shut out of playoff contention, the Pack needed a player who would keep the team’s spirit up and play hard no matter what the score was. Senior outfielder Devon Cartwright has been that guy for the baseball team so far this year. Cartwright has been a stable player for the baseball team the entire season, splitting time between left field and centerfield while being a staple at the top of the order offensively.
“He always has had that spark,” coach Elliot Avent said. “He really enjoys the game he plays and he plays it with a very high passion. If you need a spark or you need someone to get this team going, he is the guy.”
The hard-nosed way Cartwright plays the game has been noticed not only by his coaches but also his fellow players.
“Devon is a guy that, if he is on your team, you love him to death but if you are playing against him he is a guy that would get on your nerves and frustrate you a lot or a guy you might not even like,” junior Wade Moore said. “It’s just the way he carries himself and the way he plays the game. He does everything the right way – he plays for the right reasons, he plays hard, and you never hear anything about his stats or anything. He just wants to win.”
Cartwright, who transferred from Palm Beach Junior College, was a platoon player on last year’s team, splitting time in left field. However, this year he has cemented his spot as a full time outfielder.
“I have had more opportunities to play this year,” Cartwright said. “I have gotten more at bats then last year and I have just been trying to take advantage of that and help the team win. We are struggling a little bit but I go out there and play as hard as I can every day.”
Cartwright credits his success offensively to his attitude that he takes up to the plate, believing there is not one pitcher in all of baseball who can get him out. Each time he goes to the plate, he tells himself he will get a hit.
“If you go up there thinking that that guy is not going to get you out, you definitely have a better opportunity to hit him,” Cartwright said. “To be a good hitter I feel like you have to have that attitude. You got to go up there and think that there is no one that will throw the ball by you and if you’re thinking that, a lot of the time good things happen.”
Cartwright’s biggest improvement this year has come in his defense. Cartwright was originally recruited out of junior college as a middle infielder, but after arm trouble he moved into the outfield. Since the move, he has focused on his defense and in only his second year of playing outfield, he has improved enough to earn time in center field.
“He has solidified a starting spot in the outfield whether it’s in left field or in center,” Avent said. “He has improved himself dramatically as an outfielder this year, so much so that he has earned some time in center field.”
Even with Cartwright’s improved defense and offense this year, Avent said he believes the most important aspect Cartwright brings to the team is his competitive nature.
“He plays with a high passion for this game and he knows how to compete,” Avent said. “You usually learn how to compete at a young age and Devon knows that, and I think that is one of the biggest things he brings to our ball club, passion and a competitive spirit.”
