Dec. 10, 2012
SEATTLE - Over the coming weeks, we'll be introducing Husky Baseball fans to the class of 2013 - those high-school seniors who signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at the UW next fall and play on the 2014 Husky team. The first of our 10 signees is Alex Hardy, a right-handed pitcher from Emerald Ridge High in Puyallup, Wash. Alex earned first-team All-South Puget Sound League honors last spring and is also a two-time Scholar-Athlete award winner. He plays his summer baseball for the Puyallup Knights. Here's a look at Alex: UW Baseball: What is your pre-game superstition if you have any? Hardy: I wouldn't really consider it a superstition, but I have my Bible verse written underneath the bill of my hat that I look at before I take the mound. UW Baseball: What is your favorite pre-game meal? Hardy: Starbucks Apple Fritter. UW Baseball: Favorite pre-game music? Hardy: Anything Mat Kearney, especially the song, "Ships In The Night". UW Baseball: What is your guilty pleasure TV show? Hardy: The Bachelor UW Baseball: If you weren't playing baseball you would.... Hardy: I'm realizing that I'm pretty one-dimensional, I can't think of anything else I would rather do. UW Baseball: What is your favorite quote or saying? Hardy: "Champions are made when no one is watching." And, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose." UW Baseball: Who are you most looking forward to playing with at the UW? Hardy: I'm looking forward to playing with Garrett Anderson. We have played on the same team together since the age of 4, and it will be awesome to continue our careers at the University of Washington. UW Baseball: If you could trade places with one person in professional sports for a day who would it be and why? Hardy: NHL player Mike Fisher. He wakes up every morning to his wife Carrie Underwood. If I couldn't trade places with Mike Fisher, I would want to be Aroldis Chapman. I just want to know what it feels like to throw 100+ from the left side. UW Baseball: Do you play any other sports in HS? If so, what? Hardy: No, baseball has always been my passion. UW Baseball: Have you always been a pitcher? Hardy: I have played both center field and pitcher my whole life, until last year when I decided to focus entirely on pitching. UW Baseball: What are your personal goals this season and in your career at UW? Hardy: This season is all about getting stronger, and preparing to play at the University of Washington. For the first time in my life, I am concentrating solely on pitching. As far as my goals at UW, I have two ultimate goals. The first involves being at the bottom of the Dawg pile in Omaha, and the second involves a pair of Golden Spikes. UW Baseball: Why UW Baseball? Hardy: I wanted to be part of a program that was on the rise, with a coaching staff that has unbelievable integrity. To be a member of the first UW baseball team that goes to Omaha. UW Baseball: What is your best memory of baseball at any level? Hardy: Being apart of a Puyallup Knights team that represented Team USA in the Dominican Republic. UW Baseball: What are some of the strengths of your game that you will bring to the UW? Hardy: Leadership, mental toughness, a positive attitude that doesn't quit until the last out is made...and I can throw the ball pretty hard. UW Baseball: Have you thought much about what you want to major in? Hardy: I want to major in business, with a minor in communications, with the goal of becoming a sports agent after my baseball career is over with. UW Baseball: Away from the field and the classroom, what are some of your hobbies, or what do you like to watch? Hardy: In my down time, I like to spend it with friends and family, watching movies or playing ping-pong. |
