Haverford School’s Luke Kania is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week
The senior outfielder, a first team All-Inter-Ac selection, was batting .457 (as of May 24) with 32 hits, 22 runs scored and only five strikeouts in 70 at bats. A fine defensive defense outfielder, Kania has played a key role this spring for the Fords (20-10), who advanced to the PAISAA tourney semifinals and defeated Malvern Prep twice during the regular season. “He’s a tone-setter for the team with his attitude, hustle and love for the game and his teammates,” said Haverford School baseball head coach Bob Castell. Kania, whose cousins James and Michael played golf for Villanova University, will be attending Villanova as well this fall.
Q: You have been one of the team’s leading hitters this spring. What do you think has been the most important thing you’ve learned recently regarding hitting?
A: As a hitter I have learned to be more aggressive and confident with my swing. I am not the biggest player out there, but I have learned to make the most out of my size to be the most effective for my team.
Q: You’ve improved greatly as a player this season, earning first team All-Inter-Ac honors. What aspect of your game did you work on most during the past off-season?
A:. This past February, my dad and I cleared out space in his office building and built a batting cage. So my pre game preparation for every game really starts the night before each game and I hit in the batting cage at my dad’s office building for an hour to two hours.
Q: Tell us a little about your start in baseball. Who have been your biggest baseball mentors, and what was the most important thing each of them taught you about baseball?
A: I have been playing baseball my whole life. From my Little League coaches to Coach Castell, Coach Vanni and Coach Martin at Haverford, I have had many baseball mentors that have gotten me to this point today, and I am very grateful for all of them, but my biggest baseball mentor is my dad. He has done so much for me and has given me the confidence to play at a high level every time I take the field.
Q: Other than baseball, what other extracurricular activities have you participated in at Haverford School?
A: At Haverford along with playing baseball I was the Director of Basketball Operations Manager for the varsity basketball team, the announcer for the basketball team, and the announcer for the football team.
Q: What will you be majoring in at Villanova? Is there a career field that particularly interests you at the present time?
A: At Villanova I will be majoring in communications and I plan to get into sports broadcasting.
Fun facts – Luke Kania
Favorite movie: Major League.
Favorite athlete: “My teammate and best friend Calvin Costner.”
Favorite pre-game pump up song: My Year, by GASHI and G-Eazy.
Favorite team: Phillies.
(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)
