Beginning to play baseball in the second grade, junior Will Robles played for Oregon City Junior Baseball until transitioning over to playing for La Salle as he went into high school.

Throughout his long baseball career, he has only played catcher. Not only does he view himself as a pretty good catcher, he truly loves the position because he feels in control of the game at all times. “I love being able to be in every play and being a general on the field,” he said.

Robles’s dad played a key role in why he found his passion for baseball at such a young age. “My dad was a huge inspiration because he grew up playing and he always had baseball on the TV when I was growing up,” he said. In addition, his dad played baseball at La Salle as well.     

According to Robles, there are a lot of great things that can contribute to a good baseball team, but the most important is having good communication and feeling as if you’re part of a second family. “We do a spring break tournament every year either in state or out of state,” he said, adding that this is a great opportunity for the team to bond and get prepared for the season ahead.  

For Robles, the average practice consists of a lot of similar drills. “I usually start the practice by hitting with the outfielders then I go work on my own personal drills,” he said. In addition, these drills consist of receiving the ball and blocking the ball for when the pitcher throws the ball in the dirt.  

Robles made it crystal clear that there is always something that you can work on to improve, but the most important for him is working on blocking on his left side. “It’s hard to block the ball on the left side due to it being the opposite side of my dominant hand,” he said. 

A lot of athletes tend to have a pretty strict pregame routine and Robles tries his best to stick to his. “I usually put music on and stretch and warm up so that I am ready for the game,” he said. He listens to a wide variety of music, but his favorite artist is George Strait.  

As Robles is almost heading into his senior year of high school next year, he has a pretty set plan for his future. “I want to go into college to be a firefighter,” Robles said, explaining that his dad has been a big part of this decision, as he has been a firefighter for 23 years. “It is always something that I have looked up to him for.”