With a bat in his hand, Jensen Bergman ’22 strikes the ball far out into the field. While the opposing team chases after the ball, Bergman quickly runs past several bases. Seconds before the defenders are able to secure the last base, he scores a home run.

Bergman was introduced to baseball by his family at the age of four. Coming from a family of baseball superfans, he had much exposure to the sport during his childhood. Coached by his dad when he was younger, they developed a strong relationship through the sport. Along with being his coach, Bergman’s dad is also his role model.

“My dad always supported me in my practices but he never put too much pressure on me. Every time I wanted to go out to throw, he would throw with me. But when I [decided] I was done, he supported my decision. Like he was always my coach growing up. Yeah. Like, obviously, special players, but my main role models for baseball is my dad,” said Bergman.3

After experience playing on the local little league and club teams, Bergman joined the PHS team his freshman year. Early on, Head Boys Baseball Coach Dominick Capuano noticed his talent and commitment to the sport.

“My first impression was that he was a little guy. But he definitely grew with a lot of work on his body, and he’s now one of the stronger kids on the team. As a freshman, I thought he could make an impact down the road, which he is now,” Capuano said.

Although he is not team captain, Bergman is a great leader and team player.

“He controls an important position for us in center field, and he really does a good job of leading, even the little things that improve the team,” Capuano said.

Bergman has won the favor of many teammates through his hard work ande dedication as well as his, outstanding plays and his character.

“Jensen is truly amazing. He’ll surprise you in every way imaginable, he has no weakness. You’d think, ‘oh he just has power and will crush the ball 400 feet,’ but then casually steals 15 bases in a season. Then you’d say, ‘okay, so he can hit and run, that’s it though, right?’ No. Defensively, he’s also the best center fielder in the CVC, and has been since last year,” s

Even though he has the stats to prove he’s the best, that’s not the biggest reason why he’s the best. Jensen is a remarkable teammate. He carries an uplifting attitude and a heartwarming spirit that really helps him get along with the team. He is the heart, soul, and muscle, of the team.” said teammate Carl Birge ’22.

Baseball is a very frustrating sport because, most of the time, the duration of the games are long and require physical and mental stamina. However, through his training as a track athlete, Bergman was able to adapt to this environment and prove to be an asset, as his speed has allowed him to effectively steal bases. Along with being a committed baseball athlete, he also excelled in track, making New Balance Indoor nationals this past winter track season.

“if you had told me as a freshman that I was going to go into nationals, like I wouldn’t believe it. worked really hard this year. And in the last week of the season, we qualified for like the group events early on. And, like, I was, like, really ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it.” said Bergman

Being a multisport athlete made Bergman a greater asset to the team, as track gave him the proper base needed to be a hitter. He noticed the difference that track made on his fitness over the years during the baseball season.He hopes to still run in college. Besides being a multi-sport athlete, Jensen has also maintained a healthy mindset throughout the years,

“Baseball is a game of failure. Even the best players will get out seven times out of ten and that’s Hall of Fame numbers for the major leagues. This has helped me learn how to deal with failure better. You can’t be perfect 100 percent of the time so it has helped me accept that failure is a part of life and you just have to keep going,” Jensen said.

Bergman himself, had times in which he had trouble with staying motivated, especially during his injury.

“I actually did want to quit. At the end of my junior fall. I completely hurt my arm. I wasn’t really having fun. But I stopped playing for the winter. And then I really missed it. So I came back in the spring and had like one of the most fun seasons of my life. So I knew I wasn’t gonna quit, I couldn’t, I love the sport too much”

Bergman has committed toVassar University, his dream school, after meeting with the Vassar baseball coach during a summer training-camp. He plans to play Division III baseball there in the fall. Although baseball is his mainsport, he hopes that in the off season, he can also run track.

“I met the Vassar coach, and he’s so cool. He is one of the best coaches I’ve ever met. He is super nice, and cares about the team. So when I like, he offered me a spot. I knew I was gonna take it” Bergman said.