Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Caiden Carpenter, Wilmette Waves/New Trier baseball

Caiden Carpenter is a rising senior and infielder for the Trevians. He just finished a summer season with the Waves, after which he earned the program’s Coach’s Award.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

Some superstitions I have: I always, when going up to the plate, gotta put on my equipment the same way every time. It’s always my left shoe before my right shoe. Pregame, I like to hit a little bit — two rounds, then I’m out of the cage. I don’t want to wear myself out. Then, I fill my water bottle and head to the field.

2. What do you hope to do after high school?

My goal is to major in special education in college and I want to get a good job that I enjoy, teaching special education to high schoolers.

3. What is your favorite thing to do off the field?

I love going to the beach. I like playing Buddy Baseball with kids with special needs. I’ve grown up around it. My dad has been around special needs, and I’ve been with him around kids with special needs and have gotten super used to it.

4. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

I was watching the Summer Olympics and beach volleyball looks like so much fun. I’d need a couple more inches (of height). I am not that tall. Or I’d play basketball. Realistically, the answer is probably basketball, but as more of a fun sport, I’d play beach volleyball.

5. If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?

I’m kind of a homebody but I’ve never been to California. I’ve never been west that far. It would be cool to see the culture out there and how different it is from Chicago.

6. If you won the lottery, what would be your first purchase?

I’d probably give a lot of money to my parents, but that’s not really a purchase. I’d probably buy them a new house. They’ve done a lot for me over the years. I’m very grateful for what they do, so I’d get my parents something.

7. If you could have dinner with anybody, who would it be?

Definitely my great-grandfather. He passed away when I was younger. He’s quite a man in my life. He’s made a big impact on me. It would be cool to talk with him and catch up with him on my life.

8. If you are in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

A nipple-bottle Gatorade (Glacier Freeze or Glacier Cherry) and some sunflower seeds — I like the sweet and spicy but sometimes Walgreens just has the original (flavor).

9. What is something people don’t know about you?

That I am very close with my extended family. I get to see them a lot. We go to a lakehouse a lot and I see my grandparents and cousins a lot. I know a lot of people that aren’t very close with their grandparents, and it’s very special that they are important people in my life.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in your senior year?

The big goal is a state championship. That’s always the main goal. But smaller ones for me: I’d like to hit at least .300 in the spring season and keep my errors under five. I would like to get my GPA up a little bit. … Hopefully I can do well in my math class and science and all that. Also, try to get out of my bubble a bit. If I work on that now, it will be easier in college — meeting new people and trying new things.

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