Laren Eustace is a bundle of energy for Batavia. He has been the Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter for the past three seasons and is the table setter for the Upstate Eight River champions this season.
“He (Eustace) is a little ball of fast twitch muscles,’’ Batavia teammate Micah Coffey said. “He is one of those guys you definitely get up on the edge of your seat when he’s at bat. Just to watch him run is a blast.’’
Eustace doesn’t like to sit in the house or glue himself to electronic devices. The energy he brings to the baseball field applies to the rest of his life. When he’s not playing baseball or studying, Eustace is most likely to doing some outdoor activity.
“Right now everyone is too busy playing on the phone and everything,’’ Eustace said. “They don’t get to enjoy outside too much. I can’t really sit around. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t going all the time.’’
To that end, Eustace, Coffey and some of their friends have a tradition of going to a local reservoir with lawn mowers and cutting out a field to play baseball with tennis balls. It’s something the seniors have been doing since eighth grade to fight off boredom in the summertime.
That kind of energy has paid dividends for Batavia this season. Eustace is hitting .417 and has added power with an on-base slugging percentage of 1.221. His speed is evident with 15 stolen bases through 27 games and he has committed to Indiana.
Eustace’s academic achievements are as bright as his baseball skills. He graduated near the top of his class and part of his scholarship to Indiana is based upon academics.
“He is a very smart kid,” Batavia coach matt Holm said. “He is articulate and well thought out.’’
Eustace and Coffey are two of the leaders for the Bulldogs (28-3-1), who have high hopes for the upcoming state playoffs.
“I have a very good feeling about this team,’’ Eustace said. “I have known them all since we were nine years old. We are really joined together as a team with everyone loving each other. I have never been so close as this with any of my baseball teams in the past.’’
Coffey is committed to Minnesota and has been best friends with Eustace for as long as he can remember. The two know that they will be rivals in the future but that hasn’t affected their friendship at all.
“Oh my gosh, I love him,’’ Coffey said. “He is a kid that is a hard worker and a great kid to be around. He comes from a great family. I never really question his character. The kid goes to church, loves God and loves to serve God.’’
“It’s always fun to be around Micah,’’ Eustace said. “We always talk about how fun next year is going to be and the next four years.’’
