POST STOKER - 2028 PROSPECT

Built Different

First off, thank you for taking the time to explore my site and learn a little about me. After taking a look, if you have any feedback, questions, or like what you see, reach out on my social media channels.

I am currently a high school sophomore at Hanford High School in Richland, WA (graduating class of 2028) and have intentions of playing baseball at the collegiate level. I’ve noticed opportunities have changed for athletes with the use of the transfer portal and with this there is less of a chance for high school kids getting looked at. I decided to use every opportunity I can to get my name out there and get noticed. I also do not play on travel or tournament teams. My Pops relentlessly tells my brother and I, ‘consistency and repetition in the fundamentals along with simple math ("doing the boring over and over again") will serve you better in the long run.’ He created an acronym for the way we train and strive to do all things in life: P.I.E –Preparation, Intensity, Effort. These three things that require no skill or talent, but make all the difference.

What I Do

I was born in Boulder, Colorado. Before landing in eastern Washington, my family lived in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Fort Collins. I’ve grown up on a farm, where daily chores and discipline are part of everyday life. My parents are great role models, and my favorite two coaches. Both parents come from athletic backgrounds and I was taught early the importance of training, nutrition, and mental toughness. I've built a daily routine that prioritizes sport-specific practice, strength work, recovery, and goal setting. All centered around the mindset: get a little bit better everyday.

As a three sport athlete, I am constantly shifting focus each season. Although for me, the math is a little different. Swimming is a year-round commitment: I swim competitively for the Atomic Swim Club, attending a 2.5-hour practice every weekday. During the winter season (November through January), I also swim for the high school team, which means double practices—about five hours a day in the water, Monday through Friday, plus swim meets on Saturdays. In the fall, swim practice follows football practice. In the spring, that means swim practice follows after baseball practice.

Choosing not to participate in travel baseball allows me time for proper nutrition, recovery, and academic focus. I have a demanding daily schedule. For example, I ride a bicycle to and from school about 5 miles each way and have Jazz Band zero-hour, with my baritone saxophone. I am at school a full hour earlier than students with a standard schedule. Last I checked I am maintaining a near perfect 3.94 GPA. In college, I am interested in studying Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Economics, and/or Artificial Intelligence. All of this might sound like a lot, but this was the way I was raised, my way of life, and it keeps my brother and I mentally strong, consistent, and coachable. Even though we are busy, my brother and I still have time for fun,

Kid Stuff

Beyond the field I'm passionate about fishing, planes, baking, and playing music. I love family bike rides to lunch or dinner and summer road trips with my grandparents (yes, I take time off from my busy schedule for the things that matter in life). I enjoy exploring new places and getting to know the local culture. One of my favorite road trips before we settled in Washington was around the Baja peninsula. My interests help me stay balanced and connected with family and friends which I believe make me a better athlete and teammate. If you want to look into my childhood, you could look up a couple of older Instagram profiles operated by my Pops: @SyncroStyle (early childhood) and @stokerbrothers (a bit more recent).

Why Baseball?

That is a good question. Sport has always been in my life from an early age although our parents did not allow us to participate in organized sports (Little League) until I was 11 years old. While other kids may have started earlier, my parents chose to focus on creating a disciplined work ethic and consistency. I grew up hearing ‘change your clothes not your plans’ while learning valid life skills so my brother and I could be capable young men who can operate without our parents' existence. My Pops saw pitfalls with athlete friends and family members while growing up and did not want us making the same mistakes.

Our parents live an active lifestyle and when sports were introduced athletics became a natural part of our lives. It did not take long to close the gap on my peers, who may have started playing a few years before me, and even less time to pass many of them. I attribute this to being in line with the core fundamentals of the game. My parents keep spare gloves, frisbees, footballs, jump ropes and other sports related gear in the cars so even on road trips we play catch at rest stops or anywhere we have idle time–throwing a ball for five or ten minutes over and over again year round has a compound effect.

Baseball feels natural to me and after a couple of years playing, I began to see it as more than a sport and rather a vehicle to help me further reach my goals in life. With the new scholarship model for baseball where all 34 roster players could potentially get full scholarships, I figure why not me. My parents live everyday of their lives for my brother and I, making sure we have the tools to succeed in life. It would be nice for them not to have the burden of college costs. I think of baseball as any other tough profession or hard to obtain degree. If I have the right tools in my tool box, I don't see any limits on how far I can take it. I know the current landscape and metrics used to evaluate players, and I work everyday to close the gap on my weaknesses and refine my strengths. I have 3 seasons of growth and maturity ahead of me and I intend to work on being as consistent as possible on and off the field. In addition to my training at our personal home facility, I also train at Elite Athletics Training during the summer which primarily focuses on speed and agility, D-BAT Columbia Basin during harsh winter days, and Driveline Baseball–every six weeks we drive to the west side to retest my baseline throwing and hitting metrics to gage growth and make modifications to my training plan. Data from HitTrax, Blast Motion, Pulse Throw Workload and biomechanical models are available upon request. Or better yet, you can come and see me in person, the data is nice, but I don't live by it or lose any sleep over it. I am well aware no player has yet to truly figure it out.

Winston Churchill says it best.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm"

Sophomore Season Core Focus:

Building strength and mass while maintaining flexibility and mobility

Expanding baseball IQ through study and game awareness

Using visualization to stay sharp and confident

Leading by example and embodying what it means to be a great teammate