West Windsor teen off to Yankee Stadium for baseball contest
By: Justin Feil
Joe Jensen entered the Pepsi Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit and Run contest for the second straight year. He came in with the same attitude as he had last year.
"My dad just said, let’s give it a shot and just have some fun, win or lose," recalled Jensen.
The West Windsor 13-year-old has enjoyed the contest more than most as he has advanced to the team championship competition portion as one of the top four sectional champions last month.
"Last year," Jensen said, "I tried out and I didn’t make it past the first (local) round. It’s been fun. I was pretty surprised. All the other kids looked good stepping up, whether it was because of their height or they were muscular."
Jensen will compete at Yankee Stadium on Sunday for the chance to advance to the national finals that are held in conjunction with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The top four scores nationally from competitions that will be held at all 30 MLB parks will move on to the all-star game. Jensen will face three other high-scoring sectional champions.
"I’m looking forward to this," he said. "It’s pretty cool. Whether you win or not, you get to go on the field and get recognized too."
There are three components to the competition. For pitching, contestants throw six pitches at a designated strike zone. For hitting, they hit three balls off a tee and are measured on distance and accuracy to a line that runs straight away from the tee. The distance away from the line is deducted from the total distance the baseball travels. For running, they are timed running from second base to home. A point value is assigned to each component and the total score is used to judge the top scorers in each division.
"I’ve been getting better each round since I’ve been practicing more and more," said Jensen, who competes in the 13-14 year old division. "In the first round, most people don’t practice. But since I made it past that first round, I want to see how far I can get. And it’s given me quality time with my dad."
They have been trying to help prepare Jensen for Sunday’s competition. Jensen, who completed his seventh grade year at Community Middle School on Wednesday, has steadily improved since he took up the sport as a 5 year old.
"This last year, I’ve really gotten a lot better," he said. "I’ve been practicing more. The other years, I was one of the better guys on my team, but I’ve gotten better."
Following the competition Sunday, Jensen will gear up for the start of the District 12 Little League tournament. While he is considered a 13-year-old for the Pitch, Hit and Run competition, his birthday is late enough that he is eligible to play on the West Windsor 12-year-old all-star team.
"Over the summer, I’m not going to have much to do except baseball," he said. "I’m looking forward to the tournament. We have a pretty good team. I’ve played with some of the kids before.
"With Yankee Stadium, I’m looking forward to that too. It’s a great privilege to get there. I’m looking forward to that."
An avid New York Mets fan, Jensen has earned his way to Yankee Stadium by twice bettering his fellow competitors. At the local level in last April, Jensen advanced to the sectionals by winning both the hitting and running portions. Any competitor who wins a component is eligible to advance to sectionals.
"I knew most of the guys in the first round," Jensen said. "It was funny. I was up against one guy on the school team. We were also competing for a position on the school team. It was fun competing against him. We both passed the first round."
Andy Vogt won the pitching competition at the local level to also advance to the sectional championships that were held in East Windsor last month. The format switched there to top score overall, and Jensen scored 1,168 points to win.
"I didn’t consider the score," he said. "I just wanted to beat the guys in my bracket. Since I did well in running and won the pitching, I felt pretty good. The first one I didn’t do as well with pitching, but my pitching coach, Bill Bethea, was able to help me."
Jensen also hit well. The Pitch, Hit and Run competition rewards the most balanced player and he has always been a versatile player. He has played every position on the field. He plays outfield and will pitch when necessary for the district all-star team. He also plays for the Central Jersey Sting travel team. Outside of those teams, he has been spending time preparing for Sunday’s team championship round and feels ready.
"Me and my dad this past weekend, we’ve been going out to the field and hitting off a tee and trying to hit it the straightest and farthest," Jensen said. "I won the running twice. I have to give that to my dad. He taught me how to do it in the shortest time by going the best route. I may not have been the fastest, but I took the better angel and I could pick up speed again once I was around the base.
"With pitching," he added, "I’ve gotten more confident with that because I’ve been pitching for rec and my other teams. Hitting with my dad also adds confidence."
Jensen won’t be the biggest in the competition Sunday. He wasn’t at the sectionals even, no surprise given that he is on the younger end of the division.
"I thought I was tall," Jensen said. "But once I saw the other guys, they had a foot on me.
"I’m expecting to see some pretty good kids up there (Sunday)," he added. "I’m trying to get a better bat. I’ve been using a Little League bat and everyone else is using a big barrel."
Jensen is going to Yankee Stadium to enjoy the experience. He will attend the Yankees game with his mom and dad, and he will have the chance to compete against the top finishers from Connecticut and New York in the Pitch, Hit and Run contest. Regardless of the outcome, it’s already been quite a lot of fun. And it might not be over yet.
"If I win this, there’s another level," Jensen said. "I’d get to go to the all-star game. That would be great. But one step at a time."