Hunter Huneycutt has an energy level that can be seen from a mile away when he’s on the baseball field. As noticeable as his curly blond hair pouring out the bottom of his forest green hat or batting helmet with a golden Pinecrest “P” emblazoned on the front is Huneycutt’s tenacity as a player that has immediately made an impact for the Patriots this season.
His vitality isn’t artificial, and Huneycutt has never had a slow gear. Don’t blame him, though, he gets it honest.
“All them Huneycutts are wide open, man. They don’t stop. It’s 110 miles per hour, and we don’t slow down,” he said.
Toying with the team’s batting order in the early stages of the season, Pinecrest coach Jeff Hewitt might have found a place to put Huneycutt, and it might be the best way to use the senior’s zest.
“I got enough energy that I don't know what to do with. Coach is like, ‘I’m going to put you at leadoff, and you can let off all the energy you want.’ It lets me go crazy, and I love it,” Huneycutt said. “I love being the spark plug. I love whatever I can put my energy toward.”
Hewitt said the best way to use a player like Huneycutt is to let him get on base anyway possible, and “cause havoc.”
“We’ve had him in the three slot, we’ve had him in the one slot and we’ve had him in the five slot in the batting order, and he does a fine job for us,” Hewitt said.
Along with the changes for Huneycutt in the batting order, this week saw a change for him as a fielder.
The well-manicured outfield grass at John W. Williams Stadium has been all that Huneycutt has got to experience as a fielder since transferring to the school this season, starting in center field for most of the games. With some positional adjustments needed this week, Huneycutt found himself in the hot corner at third base against Heritage.
“I’ve been in the outfield since the beginning of the fall,” Huneycutt said. “Yesterday we had an emergency change, and I had to hop over there. Coach was like, ‘Don’t embarrass me, man.’ I tried not to, and I was able to get out here and make some plays for the team.”
And making plays is what he did, fielding everything from sharp ground balls to slow rollers in the infield like a natural.
Pinecrest coach Jeff Hewitt talks with Hunter Huneycutt during a break in the action in a game this season.
Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
“We worked him there yesterday late in practice. We liked what we saw, and he did a fine job for us,” Hewitt said. “We needed to get a little more athletic on the corner over here. You can see the way he moves, and it helps us. Balls that roll over and the slow roller, third base at the high school level is a huge position.”
Against Heritage, Huneycutt closed the sixth inning with runners on base fielding a grounder while drifting to second base, stepping back to tag third base before zipping the ball across the diamond to complete a double play.
That’s just the versatility that Huneycutt brings to the table, established since his youth baseball years.
“I was literally everywhere,” Huneycutt said. “Whoever pitched, or whatever I was needed, I got thrown everywhere. I love it. That’s the kind of ball I like playing.”
“It depends,” is the answer Huneycutt gives when you ask him what his primary position is. He also has pitched more than an inning this season, and has the capability to gear up and crouch behind the plate as a catcher. His focus isn’t about fulfilling his wishes, but rather what the team needs to find success.
“You really can put him in three or four different positions. When Appalachian State talked to me about him, that’s exactly what they had seen too at a camp,” Hewitt said. “He played several different positions, he’s athletic and he does it well.”
In his final season before joining the Mountaineers, Huneycutt’s bat has been one of the best on the team with .471 batting average, and a team-best .697 on base percentage. With that, he’s scored 10 runs.
“Going from one great team to another, I’m really excited,” Honeycutt said. “I told coach when I transferred here from Scotland, I was like, ‘I came here to be a part of the team, and before I go off to App State, we’ve got some business to do here.’ We’ve got that state 4A (title) to hit.”
The school year has brought a close connection between Huneycutt and his new teammates, who have quickly become like old teammates to one of the new guys in the dugout.
“It’s one of those things where two days with these guys is like two years. We gelled so good together. We had offseason weight training together, so we got to bond together,” Huneycutt said. “I joined this team to be a part of it. There’s some great guys in that dugout, and I was just happy to do my part.”
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