Hester is motivated more than ever for the Royals

BROSELEY — Junior Luke Hester wants to step up and make up the ground for the Twin Rivers Royals as the spring baseball season continues to heat up.

The Royals blasted onto the scene this season by winning seven straight games to set the tone as they set their sights on competing for a district championship run. The squad currently has an 8-3 record after falling to Portageville in their last matchup but will look to get back on the winning side against Risco.

Though the Royals have gotten off to a good start, Hester said several of his teammates, including himself, have stepped up to fill in for some of their injured players, junior Drew Solomon and sophomore pitcher Bo Lilly. So far, their efforts of playing as a unit have worked in their favor, but Hester said everyone is putting in overtime on the diamond to maintain the team's consistent tempo.

“We’re feeling good despite a few bumps in the road,” Hester said. “Our goal is to stay with high energy going into districts. We’ve been building on these recent wins and learning from the losses. The main focus is to get as good as we can before the postseason.”

Last season, the Royals finished 14-15, and despite the up and down season, they managed to make a run at the Class 3 District 1 championship before falling to Portageville. Hester, along with a few others from the Royals, received All-District honors. The Royals also had a strong showing in this year’s fall season, where they fell short in the Ozark Foothills Conference championship game.

Hester said he spent most of the fall sharpening his skills for the spring and can definitely see a shift he’s made on the field so far.

“I’ve just been trying to clean things up and simple things out from the fall,” he said. “I had a little trouble at the plate with catching a few strikeouts, and I am working to be more confident this season. We had a couple of guys go down, so the team is trying to find a balance as we try to make up for what we lack right now, and so far, it’s working out.”

Hester only pitched a few innings last season, but now he’s getting more trips at the mound. His main priority is staying sharp and healthy for the Royals. While the Royals begin their quest of reaching the district championship for the second straight season, Hester is well aware of the stiff competition on their path.

“There are many good teams this year,” Hester said. “Caruthersville and East Prairie are just a few of the teams we may face off in our district. We will go up against some great arms with tough velocity and must be prepared. We must stay focused on hitting against those better teams and just play as a team. If we can do that, we will be good.”

Adversity has played a major role in the Royals’ season, but instead of making excuses, Hester said head coach Chris Newman has encouraged the team to use it as motivation.

“Coach Newman has preached to us about playing for the players we lost this season,” Hester said. “It really sucks, but this happens to teams all the time, but we won’t allow that to hinder us. We’re playing for man than the sport of baseball, we’re now playing for them. We aim to be as best as we can without them, but hopefully make them proud.”