The baseball season is nearing and this will be the last year in high school that Tyler Kaiser steps on the field as a Moorestown High School Quaker.
Kaiser, a pitcher and a third baseman on the varsity baseball team, recently signed a letter of intent with Rider University, a NCAA Division 1 school in Lawrenceville. Kaiser said he is looking to go to school for management or marketing. As for baseball, he said he plans on playing the infield.
“Wherever they need me, I will play,” he said, adding his pitching career after high school will end.
Kaiser said with pitching comes a lot of injuries and the spotlight is set on the mound. When he started playing on the varsity team his sophomore year, he was only a pitcher. “It was pretty nerve wracking,” he said.
According to head coach Bill Donoghue, last season, Kaiser batted .306 with 19 hits, four doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
“This will be his third year playing. He is a tireless worker who puts in lots of extra time before and after practice to improve his skills,” Donoghue said.
Kaiser’s focus is on the season ahead. He said this year the toughest team Moorestown will face is Cherokee — three-time Olympic Conference champs.
Tyler said Cherokee was also the best team they faced last year, when the Quakers lost, 7–6.
With plenty of time practicing and playing on the SJ AAU Elite team in the summer, Kaiser said he practices in an indoor facility during the off-season. He practiced his batting, handling ground balls and conditioning.
The transition from a high school team to a Division 1 team is going to be challenging, he said.
“I know as soon as I get up there, I need to take it all in and work hard. Every guy there was the best on their [high school team],” he said.
He said he has played baseball for as long as he could remember and wasn’t sure what age he started playing.
“I have known since I was younger [playing baseball] was something I wanted to do. I really do love baseball,” he said.
Playing in the majors is not something Kaiser is pushing off to the side, but he said it is something he is going to have to work toward accomplishing.
“I definitely need to progress more. If I can do it, it would be great. It’s still a dream that I have,” he said.
