Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Ben Toft, New Trier baseball

Ben Toft is a senior outfielder for the Trevians. Toft hit .457 in conference play on his way to All-CSL South honors and will play for the University of Iowa next season.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

I wouldn’t say superstitions, but I guess I have a routine where earlier in the day I get Chipotle and I get to the field as early as I can and just start hitting, making sure I’m feeling good.

2. What makes Iowa a good fit for you?

I just love the coaching staff they have there. They showed me a lot of love, were really welcoming to me. I love what they are doing and love their philosophy. I feel like it’s a great fit for me.

3. What is your dream job?

I think being a lawyer would be pretty cool. Watching movies with lawyers and TV series, like “Suits,” it seems pretty cool.

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

I gotta say just hanging out with my buddies, most are baseball players so I’m really close to them. We hit a lot together, get food, go out for dinner. Most of the time, we’re just chillin, playing darts, playing pool.

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

I’d say football, for sure. I just think that with my frame, just how I move and all of that, it would be a good sport for me. I think it’d be really fun. My dad played high school football and I think I’d be able to excel at that sport.

6. What is your top sports highlight so far?

In 14U, we played in a tournament and in the semifinals, I hit a walk-off grand slam. That was pretty cool. Or the home run I hit in Cooperstown, 12U, that was really cool too.

7. Who is your favorite athlete?

Right now, only one that comes to mind is Pete Crow-Armstrong (OF – Chicago Cubs). I love how he plays.

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

I’d get one of those 99-cent Arnold Palmers and I’d get some sunflower seeds. I love the cracked pepper or the sweet and spicy.

9. What is something people do not know about you?

That baseball was not my first sport; it was actually my third. I used to play soccer and basketball and those were the two most important to me at the time. I didn’t start playing baseball seriously until like sixthgrade when travel started getting serious. Maybe it was seventh (grade). I stopped playing soccer in eighth grade and basketball after freshman year.

10. What’s it going to take for this team to reach its goal: state?

A lot of younger players on this team need to realize it’s just another game and put all this playoff pressure behind and realize it’s just baseball. It’s just a game, and we just need to play our game and we’ll be just fine. You need to take it one game at a time to be successful in late May and early June.

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