Boys’ baseball: Hanks and his quiet confidence hope to lead Falcons to success

Senior Trevor Hanks has always flown under the radar. It’s pretty hard to make varsity as a freshman, but it’s even harder to let this feat go nearly unheard of. Hanks accomplished both. Not only did he start at second base for varsity, almost no one knew about this freshman phenom.

Now a senior, Hanks, an integral part of the varsity team, looks to lead the Falcons to a great year and an even better finish to his high school career.

Hanks, a scrappy middle infielder, has always loved the sport, yet he did not realize how much talent he had until his freshman year.

“After Little League, I stopped playing baseball because I didn’t know how good I was,” Hanks said.

Once Hanks entered high school, he tried out for baseball, hoping to make the JV team.

“I was completely surprised and caught off guard by the fact that I made varsity. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Hanks said.

Hanks, one of the most affable players on the team, is known for his smooth style of play.

“When I saw first saw him when I was a sophomore, I knew he could play,” said alumnus Brady Horn, former shortstop and Hanks’ double play partner.

Along with the intangibles, Hanks has great tools. He runs well, plays great defense, and is a scrappy line drive hitter who puts pressure on the defense.

“He’s a good player, no doubt about it,” Horn said.

Additionally, Hanks' easy-going mindset is perfect for the sport. Because failure is an inseparable part of baseball, Trevor takes things slowly and bounces back well from disappointments.

“I’ve seen Trevor have a horrible day one day, and the next day, he’s amazing,” junior outfielder Jacob Marr. “It’s impressive how well he rebounds from failure.”

His ability to be so level-headed often warrants the amazement of others.

“He could have two errors in an inning and then come in and hit a double. His mental toughness is ridiculous,” junior outfielder Davis Berryhill said.

Hanks, a team leader, is not flamboyant about his work style. Rather, he prefers staying quiet and working hard, letting his actions speak for themselves.

“I learned that the best way to lead is to lead by example,” Hanks said. “Our captain last year [Brady Horn] did a great job of coming in working hard. I really model my quiet demeanor after him.”

Hanks’ quiet confidence helps him stay rooted while staying consistent in play. Unfortunately for Hanks, the one thing he will struggle with this year on the baseball field is exactly what he loves doing: staying under the radar.

Hanks, one of three captains, looks to lead the Falcons to victory this season in the De Anza league against tough teams such as Wilcox and Los Altos. In the season opener against King’s Academy on March 2nd, the Falcons won 9-3 largely in part to Hanks’s two key doubles to break the game open. On March 5th, the Falcons beat Gunn 9-1 in their first league contest.