Budding backstop Bailor Kristensen brings steady hand to catcher position for MHS baseball

May 13—MITCHELL — Catcher is regarded as the most difficult position to play in baseball.

There are no breaks, physically or mentally, for the man behind the plate.

But Bailor Kristensen doesn't mind the workload. He embraces it.

Just a sophomore, Kristensen is rounding out his second season as the starting catcher for the Mitchell High School baseball team, and he's proven to be a reliable backstop at the heart of the Kernels' operation.

"In the field, you're always waiting, but as a catcher, I like being in every play. You're always in on the action," said Kristensen, who started playing the position around age 12. "I think playing catcher just suited me. As I kept going, I got better and better, and I've just liked it ever since."

A need at catcher provided an early avenue to varsity playing time for a freshman Kristensen. Last spring, he caught 162 innings of a possible 178 for MHS, and this season has been more of the same, with Kristensen catching 129 of 140 innings, per the club's GameChanger statistics. That's a two-year total of 92% of the Kernels' total innings spent behind the plate.

All it takes is durable knees and a good stretching routine, Kristensen said, only half-joking. However, his teammates understand the stability and value he's brought to the position, especially as one of the youngest players on the MHS roster.

"He's such a leader for how young he is, and being a catcher, you're the one kind of running the show back there," said senior left-handed pitcher Carter McCormick. "He's always been good, and he's been a solid varsity player for us since Day 1."

While best known for his presence behind home plate, Kristensen also has one of the Kernels' top offensive highlights of the season to date. During a home doubleheader against Harrisburg on May 8, Kristensen mashed a three-run home run. It was the lone round-tripper of the season for MHS and catapulted the Kernels to a 10-2 win over the top-ranked Tigers.

On top of being an exceptional teammate who brings a sense of humor to the dugout, McCormick pointed to Kristensen's consistency, a necessity at his position, as something all the Kernels should aspire toward. A combination of work ethic and attention to detail in his training and preparation helps set Kristensen apart.

"He does it a lot better than everybody else, but just his consistency day-in and day-out is something all of us look at and try to match," McCormick said.

That respect hasn't gone unnoticed. Kristensen said he's felt supported by his upperclassmen teammates since joining the varsity team. Plus, with nearly two full seasons under Kristensen's belt, the young standout has played almost as much varsity baseball as any of the upperclassmen with whom he shares the field.

"I think they have a lot of trust in me to do my job, and I have a lot of trust in them, too," Kristensen said. "I just want to be there and do what I can for the team."