Chapman senior Aven Woods plays everywhere for the Fighting Irish. He can play catcher, first base and outfield.
“Aven Woods has worked harder to become a great ballplayer than anyone I’ve coached. He is always working to be a better player and
person. In his first three HS seasons, he played every infield position, including pitcher and catcher. This year he is playing the outfield, particularly centerfield, which evidences his extraordinary versatility,” head coach Judd Liebau said.
Last season, Woods earned first team all-league, first team all-state and first team all-class utility.
Now for his senior year, Woods has the same goals but hopes all his offseason work will show in his game.
“I want to improve my consistency throughout the end of games. In the past I’ve felt that I’d either decline or ramp up as games went on,” Woods said. “I’ve worked on finding consistency both mentally and physically. During my training, I’d try different feels and movements to look for what I need to feel then working mentally to consistently keep it through different situations and environments.”
As a senior and leader for Chapman, Woods is excited to see younger guys step up and develop into well rounded players, and he hopes he can show them the way.
“As a varsity starter every year of my high school career, I feel that my role is to be a physical role model to new starters and incoming players by showing them what it looks like to successfully play the game,” Woods said.
Next year, Woods will be attending Johnson County Community College to continue his academic and athletic career, but this season he wants to play more lighthearted.
“I’ve seen seniors in the past lose sight of the simple fact that this is still just a game. I think taking that sense of pressure to perform off myself will also help me play better,” Woods said.
