Q&A with Baseball Senior Cody Clarke

One of the key components to this year's Spring-Ford High School baseball season has to be senior leadership. With a huge group of outstanding performers leaving in 2011 after a promising state championship run that ended in a loss to Conestoga at Penn State University.

The guy with some of the most experience on the varsity squad is Cody Clarke, who has pitched, and played first and third base in his lengthy career. Clarke primarily plays at first this season.

In four games, Clarke has five hits, two runs, one double, one home run, three RBIs and two walks.

Clarke took some time to chat with Editor Kevin Haslam to talk about his career, the state championship run and his future in this week's Q&A.

LRSC Patch: When did you get interested in baseball, when did you realize you were good and when did you fall in love with the game?

Cody Clarke: I didn't start playing baseball until I was eight. I made the all-star team my first year and from there it was like, 'All right, keep playing with everybody and stay up to pace with them talent-wise.' I was good at it the first time I did it and it became what I liked to do. My friends play it and that's it.

Patch: So, since you were eight, you've come up with the guys you're playing with now?

Clarke: Yeah. My closest friends are on the team and we're doing this together. Now that we're seniors, we see that we've been playing together since we were little.

Patch: What would you say was your favorite game you've ever played in your entire career?

Clarke: Probably the state championship game we played in last year at Penn State, or when we won states at Boyertown for Legion when I was 16. Those two games were the most exciting and on the biggest stage I've ever been on.

Patch: Take me through that state championship game. The heartbreaking loss, but you guys played incredible. Can you talk about the highs and lows of that game?

Clarke: We were there because it was one of the most fun times. Even though we lost, we were there as a team and went through everything together. We played hard and continued what we did through districts and states. To lose, it hurt, but we got over it.

Patch: As far as this season goes, what do you expect out of your guys here?

Clarke: I think we should be in contention for the PAC-10 Championship again. That's probably our first goal. After that, we move on to districts again and see where we stand with the other teams in District One. I see us with the team we have now - it's not the same team as last year and we're going to have to do things differently than what we did - but, we should be at the top of the league again.

Patch: You guys lost a pretty good group of guys there last year. Can you pay homage to them and coming up with those guys and the differences between last year and this year.

Clarke: Last year, everyone could hit the ball. All of our starters were number ones for any other team in the PAC-10 and district. It's hard to lose them and you've got to rely more on everyone to do the job this year, other than picking any of the nine guys in the lineup and just having confidence in them. We have to have the same mentality here, but apply it again and do the same thing with different guys.

Patch: You've played a bunch of different positions through your career, right?

Clarke: Yeah, first and third and pitched a little bit.

Patch: What are you playing this year?

Clarke: Right now I'm on first, but it all depends on who's pitching on what day. I'm flexible with that and it doesn't really matter to me where I play.

Patch: Is there a game in your career you can look back on and say you really learned something from?

Clarke: Last year when we lost to Owen J. [Roberts] in the regular season. I think it was 3-1 or 3-0 and we came out all fired up for the game and they just came out and shut us down. We came in expecting to win, and with that team last year, we could have done that. But, that game showed us that we aren't the best. Everyone has to be on their game to come out and win. That game sticks out in my whole career as something that taught me you have to be ready to play no matter what.

Patch: What's the most important aspect of the game to you?

Clarke: Consistency, I'd say. Hitting has changed for me from Little League to now. I used to just try to hit the ball, but now every time it's having an approach and being the same in everything I do and just playing the game every day like it's my last.

Patch: Wrapping up senior year, any particular memories on the field or in the halls of school that you look back on as some of your favorite?

Clarke: On the baseball field probably our run we made last year and when we won states in Legion. We all had fun doing it. I was with my friends the whole time. It was great to win and know we had a great team.

Patch: What are your plans for college?

Clarke: I'm playing at La Salle [University].

Patch: Cool. What are you taking up over there as far as a major goes or career path?

Clarke: Right now, I'm planning on Secondary Education to be a history teacher. That may change, though.

Patch: At this point in your life, what makes you want to do that?

Clarke: My mom's a teacher and I really want to get into coaching too. That's something I've always wanted to do. That seems like a pretty good route for me.

Patch: What do you think makes you a good coach if down the line you do become a head coach of a team?

Clarke: Just learning from the coaches I've had and seeing how the players react to what they say - seeing what works and what doesn't. That's what would help me be a coach.

Patch: Do you play sports in the fall or winter?

Clarke: This year was the only year I didn't play football.

Patch: Last one - If you could go back to your freshman year and give yourself some tips to become who you are today, what would you tell yourself?

Clarke: Probably to have matured a little faster as far as my attitude toward the game. Not everything is going to go your way. Either way, be more level-headed and approach each game the same way, and give it my all every day like it's my last.