From Swing to Sprint: Benched the Glove

Portrait of Kyle Fetterly happy with the switch from baseball to track on October 23rd. (Jasreet Saran/The Tower)

By JASREET SARAN  
The Tower 

MANTECA –Rising athlete Kyle Fetterly has decided to make an unexpected move to transition from baseball to track. This move between sports has surprised everyone, from his teammates to his family. 

Fetterly’s interesting transition from baseball to track has people questioning: Why did he hang up his glove and lace up his spikes? 

“Honestly, it was no easy choice to quit baseball because it was a sport that I could look forward to year after year, now it’s gone and I won't be coming back to it,” Fetterly said. 

Fetterly used to play baseball, but now he wants to try the track. He thinks he is better suited for sprinting and relays, which is less sport-specific and would be easier for him. He says that making varsity baseball would be challenging; he has always had an interest in track. 

“I’ve always been a little interested in track because I saw it to be an exciting sport, but I had a greater interest in baseball at the time, but I think I would be better suited for track than baseball this year,” Fetterly said. 

Fetterly’s baseball coach, James Carabello, believed he could make varsity if he put in the effort. 

“I think Kyle could have made the team a varsity player because he had been a role player, and he was a good defensive player, as well as being good at baseball,” coach Carabello said.  

The coach believes Fetterly could have made varsity baseball. He was strong on defense and fast at base paths. Fetterly had a good first step and long strides. These attributes would definitely help Fetterly make the team if he had the drive for it. 

“I was just decent at baseball, don’t ask my teammates, but I think I would still be better geared at track because I still have athletic qualities, but I don’t have the sport specific skills I need for baseball,” Fetterly said. 

Fetterly found it hard to quit baseball, a sport he had looked forward to each season for many years. Now he wants to take his shot at the track. He is excited to see what he can do on track. 

“In track I'm thinking about the relays and sprint events, any of the meters,” Fetterly said. 

Carabello says that his athletic abilities in baseball should transition well on the track. Baseball is a sport with lots of intricate movements and requires speed and explosiveness as well, perfect for track. 

“I only know his athletic background in baseball, as far as what I know about him in baseball he was pretty instinctive as far as playing defense, and he was good on the base paths, so fast around the bases so that will obviously help him in track,” Carabello said. 

Kyle’s switch from baseball to track shows his effort to still play a sport and how he embraces a new challenge. He is ready to make the most of his first season.