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Here’s our TLI for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023:
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EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: KASEY WOOD
Arkansas-bound UT Kasey Wood, #53 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about KC Peppers-Wallace, mental training, PGF Nationals, Oklahoma City tournaments, Lady Dukes, Arkansas, sports world, Kelsey Wood, Eric Church, “Community” and handstands.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Kasey Wood
Hometown: Bentonville, AR
High School: Bentonville High
Club Team: KC Peppers 18U-Wallace
Graduation Year: 2023
Height: 5-foot-8
Position: UT
Nickname: Woody/Kase
Twitter: @Kaseywood511
Honors: NWA Democrat Gazette Player of the Year and #53 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100.
Travel Ball Fall Stats: 23 games, 73 plate appearances, 61 at-bats, .492 AVG, .575 OBP, 1.510 OPS, .934 SLG, 30 hits, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 5 HRs, 12 RBIs, 21 runs and 12 SBs.
High School Stats: Hitting — .465 AVG, 33 Hits, 4 HRs, 21 RBIs, 39 runs and 21 SBs; Pitching — 8-2, 0.97 ERA, 58 IP and 79 Ks.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? I became involved with the KC Peppers when I was playing 14U ball, mainly as a pitcher. Shortly after my childhood team went it’s separate ways, Coach Jeff Wallace and Eric Flores decided to take a chance on me, while I was also taking a big choice on them. I was introduced to high level competition at a very early age and I am very thankful for the experience that gave me.
Do you have any suggestions for training methods or apps and why? My biggest suggestion for training methods is to train your mind double time how much you are training your body. We evolve and take in a lot more than our body does every day. To train with intent.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF Nationals this past summer? The experience at PGF Nationals is always amazing. It was very bitter sweet competing last year because every game was close to the last game played with the amazing seniors we had. It was an emotional experience getting to send them out leaving it all on the table.
What was your favorite fall tournament/event and why? My favorite fall event is always the Oklahoma City tournaments because of how much fun the girls get to have and the bonding that happens after games running around Oklahoma City.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? The toughest opponent we faced was the Lady Dukes in PGF last summer as our opener for bracket play. It was fun to play against future teammates, but was very mentally challenging and nerve racking for me personally to find my footing on the scale of difficulty for that particular opponent. It helped me grow as a player.
Can you tell us why you chose to commit to Arkansas? I chose to commit to Arkansas because of the foundation of trust and family I felt welcomed into and part of the second I landed on my visit.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am interested in many different areas, but right now I think working somewhere in the sports world has my best interest because of my areas of knowledge.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is my older sister, Kelsey Wood, because she is the person who drove me to be the best I could when I was very young. She played sports with passion and respect for the game and I wanted to be just like her.
What’s the best hype song and why? The best hype song is “Springsteen” by Eric Church. Practicing many hours with country music in the back has made songs like this the comforting familiar feeling of domination by reminding me of of all our preparation.
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Community” on Netflix. “Community” is a very entertaining and challenging show to watch. I cannot put it on if I need to focus on something, because I’ll watch “Community” instead. It’s a comedy show about people that go to community college together.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? My secret talent (is) being able to hold handstands for 30 seconds still.
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