Jesuit's Hoskins Rounds Diamond for Scholarship

Rhys Hoskins remembers playing baseball since he was four years old.

Hoskins, a Sacramento native and now a of , will continue his baseball career on scholarship at Sacramento State in the fall.

Hoskins sealed the deal in ink when he during a ceremony on Feb. 2 at 8 a.m., even though he decided back in August that he wanted to attend Sac State. Alongside family and friends at the Jesuit Athletic Center, the Hornets signed him to attend the university in the fall.

“I never thought I would get a scholarship to play college baseball,” the 18-year-old said. “I’m pretty excited about attending Sacramento State especially being able to play baseball for their program.”

Hoskins a three-sport star for three years, played football, and . If he had played football all four years he would have been the only three-sport athlete in Jesuit history since 1989 but this past year he decided to forego playing football and focus on his baseball aspirations.

Hoskins said his accomplishments include receiving a scholarship, obtaining a cumulative 4.0 grade point average, awards for best defensive player and being scouted last summer by some major league teams for an all-star team.

Hoskins has played on a variety of travel teams and a summer team including the El Dorado Hills Vipers. He said he has enjoyed the experiences and that they have helped him to become the player he is today.

“My grandfather has helped me a lot with the technical stuff of the game,” Hoskins said. “Since my grandfather has helped me, it has given me the motivation to do better so I won’t let everyone down.”  

Throughout his baseball career at Jesuit, Hoskins has been a first baseman, third baseman and catcher, Hoskins finished at Jesuit with a batting average of .421, with 28 runs batted in and a .544 on base percentage.

“He has been such an integral part of the program as a third year varsity player,” said head coach Joe Potulny. “He’s really just an All-American kid, who seems to be having a great time while getting ready for the next level.”

The Jesuit program exhibits that the baseball diamond is no different from the classroom, the laboratory, or lecture hall. Baseball at the high school level is a learning experience—a chance to mature through self-discipline, competition, sportsmanship, achievement and failure.

Potulny, an alumnus and longtime baseball coach at Jesuit, said that on and off the field Hoskins remains level headed and focused on succeeding.

"Rhys has far exceeded our expectations," Potulny said. "He’s been outstanding."

The college-bound teenager said that in his spare time he is a normal teen and when he is not sleeping and playing sports, he spends time with his family and friends. Don’t be fooled by the 6-foot-4, 235-pound exterior, apparently he is really just a humble teddy bear.

“We started calling him 'Rhysie Poo', then 'Pooh Bear' and finally 'Teddy Bear',” said Brian Celsi, a teammate of Hoskins.

The teammates dubbed Hoskins "Teddy Bear" because of—well as Celsi puts it, he’s just Rhys.

His goodness transcends as he continues to donate his time during the summer to a local Muscular Dystrophy Association charity camp at the Sly Park Recreation Area in Pollock Pines. And as he puts it, he can’t get enough of it.

“The best part about the camp is seeing the kids get excited,” Hoskins said. “It’s really fun spending time with them.”  

Hoskins notes his father got him hooked on sports from an early age, even before he could walk, they would watch San Francisco Giants baseball games together.

Hoskins expressed that his father is his biggest inspiration and influence. It’s hard to see why he wouldn’t be, Paul Hosksins never misses a chance to see his son round third base and head for home plate.

Even though Rhys’ mother Cathy Reynolds, passed away in 2009 after a 15-year battle with breast cancer, Paul Hoskins said she will always be a valuable member of their son's cheering section.

“After everything that we’ve been through as a family over the past couple of years, Rhys remains a stoic kind of kid,” Paul Hoskins said.

Rhys Hoskins is a steady rock, he still continues to produce and be a silent leader, even after his mother passed away, Potulny said.

Potulny adds that Hoskins has so far preformed at a level far above his abilities and that he’s really going to be a raw college player as he has barely scratched the surface of his potential. Under the guidance of Sac State head coach Reggie Christiansen, Potulny said Hoskins is going to continue to grow and become an even better player.

“One of our goals in the recruiting process is to win the recruiting wars in our own backyard," Christiansen said. "Rhys’ commitment to our program helped us do just that.

"Rhys is one of the top right-handed hitters in all of Northern California and one of the premier student-athletes in the Sacramento area,” Christiansen said in a recent press release from Hornet Sports. “We project Rhys to be a major contributor in the middle of the line-up early in his career. Rhys is a great student and one of the most humble and mature kids I have had the pleasure of recruiting over the past 12 years as a college coach.” 

Paul Hoskins said he is proud of his son.

“No matter where he would have played I expected to travel to watch him play," he said. "It never occurred to me that he wanted to stay and play in Sacramento. But as long as he gets to keep playing baseball and I get to watch, that’s important.”

Rhys Hoskins said he looks forward to both his scholastic and athletic career at Sac State and that being a part of the baseball team will only make school that much better.

“I’m excited to be moving on and to start a new chapter in my life,” he said. “I chose Sacramento State because it’s where I could play baseball.”

The talented athlete undoubtedly holds baseball near and dear to his heart—after all he’s been playing for 14-years and can’t wait to take his game to the next level.