Athlete of the Week: Evan Kenebrew, Widefield baseball

Widefield junior outfielder Evan Kenebrew hit a twoout, full-count grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning to win a game against Cheyenne Mountain on March 18. He then hit a three-run home run Thursday to complete the sweep of the Indians. For his accomplishments, Kenebrew is The Gazette's Athlete of the Week.

Baseball's a pretty superstitious sport. Are you superstitious?

I am very superstitious (laughs). I always wear my baseball socks inside out. If we're winning, I wear the same belt that I wore the game before. I have a couple of different hats. I'll wear the same hat. Never step on the foul line when you're warming up. I get my helmet out of my bag a certain way and I touch certain things first. I go in certain orders for different things. Actually, before I hit that home run, I couldn't find my batting gloves and I still hit the home run.

So, you might have a bit of a new routine now?

Oh yeah, I have not been using batting gloves ever since.

What was going through your mind when you hit that grand slam?

Well, it was a very pressure-filled situation. I just went up there, looked for a good pitch to drive, and luckily I was fortunate enough to get a good pitch and I hit it pretty good.

Had you ever done anything like that before?

No. This was my first grand slam I've ever hit and it's my first walk-off home run I've ever had. It was a cool experience.

Were your teammates there to meet you at the plate?

Yes. They were screaming. They were very happy for me, because if we had lost the game, it would have been a big loss. It was cool to have them rooting for me and be excited for me as well.

Did you know it was going to be a home run as soon as you hit the ball?

I usually do, but this time I think I was so caught up that I didn't know. I didn't even notice till I was halfway to second base. I was still sprinting.

What is your favorite baseball team?

I don't really have one team that I love. I like the Twins, the Blue Jays. The Rockies did very well last year. I'm not a big Rockies fan, but what they did was amazing, so you got to give them their props.

Who is you favorite baseball player?

I think my favorite player is Ryan Howard actually, for the Phillies. He plays first base and that's where I really want to play. He's also another African-American baseball player and he's a good power hitter. That's who I look up to.

What do you do for fun outside of baseball?

Normal teenage things. I like to hang out with my friends, meet the women and play my Xbox.

Do a lot of your teammates play too?

Sometimes. I have Xbox LIVE and a lot of my friends on the team have Xbox LIVE, so we play together on the game, but we're not actually together.