“Buckshot.” “Coach Gaines.” “Freaky Gaines.” “Randall.” “The Rake.”
These are just a few of the many nicknames given to Crown Point’s Connor Gaines, and the list seems to grow longer by the day during his breakout junior season.
More Top Picks Best Organic Mattresses
“He kind of looks like the lizard (Randall) from ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ so that’s why we call him that,” Crown Point senior third baseman Andrew Long said. “And then we call him ‘Freaky Gaines’ because when he’s in the box, he likes to stick his tongue out at the pitcher. That’s probably the most used one.”
But don’t let the silly names fool you. Gaines’ coaches and teammates have plenty of other descriptors for him too.
“He’s a really good teammate,” Long said. “He’s always cracking jokes, always helping out. If I want to get extra reps somewhere, he’s one of the guys who wants to come with me, asking me to get extra reps too. He’s always helping out our teammates when he can, giving them pointers and tips. He’s just a great overall teammate.
“In my eyes, he’s a leader on our team.”
Gaines has certainly played like one in his first season as a starter for the Bulldogs (17-3, 8-2), who are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A in the state coaches poll and tied for second place in the Duneland Athletic Conference before a game against Lake Central on Tuesday.
Splitting time between catcher and designated hitter, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Gaines is batting .400 with 10 extra-base hits and 22 RBIs, all good for second on the team behind senior catcher Sean Dunlap, a Tennessee recruit. Gaines, who usually bats in the cleanup spot, also has a 1.131 OPS.
“I’ve always had in my mind, ever since I was little, that we’re not going to win if I’m not hitting well, so I’ve just decided that there’s nothing I can do but play to the best of my ability no matter what,” he said.
“I know it’s not true. But it’s something I put in my mind to make me feel like I always have pressure on myself and that there’s nothing I can’t handle.”
That mindset has worked wonders for Gaines, who has also undergone a transformation of sorts since last season, when he spent most of his time on the junior varsity team. Extra-base hits were not so common in the past.
“It was really just about getting bigger for me because I knew I had the skills to hit the ball after last summer and to be able to produce at a high level, but I was more of a singles hitter,” Gaines said. “So I needed to focus on getting bigger, whether that be eating more or getting in the weight room.”
Gaines attacked that process with a tenacity that impressed his teammates as well as coach Steve Strayer, who described him as “persistent.” Strayer believes Gaines has a future in baseball.
More Top Picks Best Portable Dac Dongles For The Money
“He’s got a lot of tools,” Strayer said. “He’s got a strong arm behind the plate. He receives really well. He takes the ball the other way when he’s hitting, and that’s always important, and then he can turn on the ball if he needs to. His base running is really good.
“He doesn’t have too many weaknesses. Now he’s just got to get a little bit better at each one of those skills, and I think he’s going to be a very good college baseball player.”
Gaines has been pursuing that dream since he was a young boy, and his father, Chris, has been there every step of the way.
“My goal is to be seen by more coaches and to be able to have the opportunity to play in college,” Gaines said. “I’ve talked to a few schools, and I’ve been trying to dip my feet in the water a little bit to open myself up to more opportunities when it comes to that.
“I hope after this high school season and into the summer season that my name will get out there a little more, and then I’ll go with the flow of what’s happening from there.”
Noah Poser is a freelance reporter.