Wednesday, May 7, 2008
As this weekend approaches, it will not only mark the last Border Showdown for this year’s senior class, but the last home series all together. One senior who looks to have an impact in the series is senior Andres Esquibel; but it was the path that led him to Kansas that has had a greater effect.
“My Freshman year I went to San Diego State. I didn’t want to leave California,” Esquibel said. “Then I went to a Junior college and there have been three or four guys come here from there. I started talking to coach Price and I decided to take a trip out here and now that I am out here, I love it.”
For the Vista, Calif., native, it was about trading in palm tress and the ocean for snow and wind. Esquibel lettered all four years at his high school in Vista; and Esquibel was a two-time All-Palomar Confrence selection and he was also chosen to play in the California North-South all-star game as a senior. While Esquibel has put up numbers that give the impression that his transition into the division 1 college level has been seamless, becoming acclimated to the environment is a different story.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Andres Esquibel, junior (now senior) pitcher, throws a pitch during Tuesday's game in Hogland Ballpark. During four innings of play Esquibel shut-out Penn State, leaving the game after the fourth 14-0.
“I pretty much got the same response out of everybody. What are you doing out there, there’s nothing out there, its all flat. Its cold, your not going to have the ocean or anything else” Esquibel said. “It’s not that bad, it is actually really fun. I have adjusted to it really well, because it’s a great college town. I mean there is nothing like this in California.”
In his first season as a Jayhawk last year, Esquibel appeared in 25 games. In those 25 games, Esquibel went 7-3 with a 4.66 ERA and compiled 50 strike outs.
Esquibel has carried that success into his senior season and has continued to play well alongside the surging team. With the success he has had over the last seven years of his life, it would be easy to get carried away and rest on his previous success. Not Esquibel however, as calm and poised as he is on the mound, his mannerisms off the field should come as no surprise. Esquibel is a family man and gives credit to the people closest in his life. The easiest way to learn about Esquibel is to pose the question about who has been the most influential person in his life, and it is not a professional baseball player.
“There’s not one person, it has probably been my family; my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, uncles,” Esquibel said. “My dad, grandpa and uncle have coached me ever since I was 8-years-old and I have always tried to show how they have helped me. I also just always to try and set a good example for my two brothers.”
As the season is coming to a close, Esquibel seems to have a shot to play baseball at the next level. If he is unable to pursue baseball further, he has a different career plan in place. Instead of trying to get a desk job and get cooped up in a small cubicle, he knows he would have to stay around the game that he loves and have the ability to work with kids.
“I’ve thought about this a lot and it would have to be a teacher and coaching.” Esquibel said. “I can never see myself sitting in an office everyday. I could never do it.”
With seven regular season games left, there is still time for Esquibel to leave a bigger impression on the team he left California for. The impact he will make after those seven games, nobody knows. One thing is for sure though; in whatever he does he should be successful. Whether that is throwing fastballs or teaching the next great major league star, only time will tell.
— Edited by Daniel Reyes
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