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09/10/2020 12:00 AMLucas Kamoen had a summer to remember for the Clinton Huskies baseball team and is poised to make an impact on ballfield at Haddam-Killingworth next spring.
Lucas is heading into his junior year at H-K. This summer, he competed on the AAU circuit for the Clinton Huskies 16-U baseball team in the East Shore Travel League.
A right-handed pitcher, Lucas features a four-pitch arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, a two-seam heater, a knuckle curve-ball, and a changeup. He also plays shortstop and third base when he isn’t pitching.
“Playing for H-K with all my friends and playing with a great high school team is amazing, and it’s always exciting,” says Lucas. “Playing for Coach Willie [Fritz] and the Huskies is also amazing. I’ve learned a lot thanks to Coach Willie. Everyone on both teams shows a similar work ethic, and that is to work hard and have it pay off in the games.”
Lucas, a Killingworth resident, started out by playing tee-ball as a youngster. Lucas quickly found his love for baseball, and that passion for the sport has grown every year since.
“My favorite aspect of the game would have to be when we’re in a close game and both teams are just locked in and battling to win,” Lucas says. “Or just being on the mound pitching is another one of my favorite aspects.”
Lucas notched a team-high five wins on the mound for the Huskies during the 2020 summer season. Clinton finished the campaign with eight victories, including a pair in the playoffs. Coach Fritz says that he always felt like the Huskies had a great chance to win whenever Lucas toed the rubber.
“Lucas became my most reliable pitcher this summer, and he really developed at the plate, as well,” says Fritz. “Lucas is an intense competitor, and I always knew what I was getting out of him on the mound. He’s a guy that would pound the strike zone and didn’t walk a lot of batters.”
Lucas’s favorite moment of the season came when the Huskies claimed a 9-8 victory over The Clubhouse. It was a back-and-forth matchup that saw Lucas retire the final batters of the game.
“It was tied 8-8, and I was closing the game out. We ended up battling it off to secure the win that game,” Lucas says. “Both our team and the other team were intense and battling all off to try and get the win. That was a really exciting game.”
This summer wasn’t the first time that Lucas played for Coach Fritz. Last year, Lucas competed for Fritz and his team, The Breakers, during the fall ball season. Lucas says that he’s learned a lot about the game of baseball from the veteran coach.
“I started playing for Coach Willie last year during the fall. He’s a great coach, and it’s been an honor to play for him,” says Lucas. “He has a real passion for the game, and he tries to spread that passion to us. He has taught me so much that I can work on for pitching and hitting. I’m thankful for Coach Willie and all he does for our team.”
Lucas spends a lot of time refining his skills at the local diamonds. He also has the option to get in some reps at the homestead.
“I enjoy working out in the small gym we have in our basement,” Lucas says. “I also go to my local field, either Sheldon or the H-K Middle School, and practice hitting and throwing a bullpen to my brother. I also go to the cages at the high school with some friends.”
Aside from baseball, Lucas is a member of H-K’s boys’ cross country and indoor track teams. Earlier this year, Lucas helped the track squad win its second-straight Shoreline Conference title by running on the Cougars’ fourth-place 4x800 relay at the championship meet. The relay went on to take third place at the Class S State Championship, helping H-K secure runner-up honors at that meet.
While Lucas loves both of his sports, baseball is the one that he’s hoping to play at the collegiate level.
“I would love to play college ball,” Lucas. “It would be a great opportunity and, if I get the chance, that would be amazing.”