It’s unbearably hot, and, from where Alex Winters ’24 is standing, the batter looks like a blur. The sound of the bat hitting the ball echoes through the stadium. Ignoring the sun’s glare, Winters’ eyes search for the ball. He sprints to catch it. In the next few seconds, as his teammates look on with bated breath, the baseball lands comfortably in Winters’ mitt. The opposing team has been struck out.

Winters has been playing baseball since he was only six years old. As a child, his boundless energy was directed into a passion and love for sports.

Baseball has been a huge influence on him ever since, and he’s joined recreational leagues and summer camps throughout his career. During his sophomore year, Winters fell in love with the feeling of standing under stadium lights as he and the rest of the PHS team were called on at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark. He was also voted in to play in the 2022 Carpenter Cup, representing Mercer County. There, he competed against teams from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Winters’ success in past years has continued into the new baseball season. In the PHS baseball team’s first game this year, Winters scored a run and a triple, which is when the batter runs to third base after hitting the ball, an impressive feat even for high-level players. His teammate, Jai Justice ’25, commends him for contributing to the team with his expertise and guidance.

“He’s a great hitter, is very fast, and has leadership skills,” said Jai. “He’s constantly hustling around the bases and anywhere on the field.”

Winters also shows his leadership skills as he starts this season as the team’s newly elected captain. His strong connections with his teammates helps them build on each other’s strengths and weaknesses, making Winters a valuable member of the varsity team.

“[My role is] really important this year, especially as a leader on the team. Whether that be on or off the field ... that’s something I really aspire to be,” Winters said.

Winters doesn’t just impress his teammates, however. He also caught the attention of the baseball coach, Dominic Capuano, showing both skill and dedication to the sport. Capuano also notes that Winters has grown significantly throughout his time with the PHS team as he refines his fundamental skills and embodies a competitive mindset, becoming more and more adaptable with every season.

“[He is better at] understanding stealing bases, understanding pitch counts, understanding what pitchers are going to do, [and] understanding where [he needs to hit] the ball. [His] desire to improve has really shown,” Capuano said.

But an athlete’s career is never an easy path, and Winters was no exception. Suffering an injury to his batting arm, he was unable to play for part of his first year on the team. Still, he remained optimistic, and never gave up on baseball despite the challenge.

“I broke my arm during baseball [in my sophomore year],” said Winters.“I don’t know if I thought about quitting, but it was really a low point. But in the end, it’s just the game I love.”

He worked hard on his recovery and was quickly able to return to baseball and progress even further. This year, he has chosen to focus on improving his batting.

“Last year, I had some trouble pulling the ball,” said Winters. “I’m a lefty, so [pulling is] hitting the right field ... at the end of last year, I picked it up a lot.”

Being left-handed in sports where most players are right-handed requires extra effort as it comes with a slightly different skill set. With newly improved control over his swing, Winters is able to redirect the ball, making it easier for his teammates to score more points when he’s at bat.

Winters has received offers to play Division III college baseball, but wants to prioritize his education and his interest in statistics. He hopes to apply the skills he learned in baseball to this field.

“[It’s] really interesting to implement [statistics] into sports,” said Winters. “I did a research project with the [Princeton] University football team, [where] we analyzed the data [to find] strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.”

But right now, Winters is focused on the baseball season. Since it’s his last year at PHS, Winters is looking forward to making an even bigger impact on the season and the team as a whole.

“This is the first year where I’m able to be a real leader, and I’m really happy that this is the group I get to lead ... We have a great combination of skill, talent, and heart as well, and I think we can do some real damage this year,” Winters said.