Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Henrik Conniff, New Trier baseball

Henrik Conniff was a senior right-handed pitcher for the Trevians in the spring. He was named to the All Central Suburban League team with a 3-0 record in league play and is headed to Columbia University next year.

1. Do you have prestart rituals or superstitions?

I like to wear a headband, first of all. I wore this one the whole season that is a black America headband and I always pitched well when I had it on. My warmup routine is really long. I get to the field maybe an hour or hour 30 minutes early — earlier than most kids — and stretch out, do all my weird exercises, roll out, and get everything loose and start throwing. That would take pretty long. I had a set routine, and it’s something everybody kind of laughed about.

2. Why Columbia?

I was recruited last year and obviously the academics were a big draw and baseball was a big draw. I really couldn’t imagine myself as a regular student and not a student-athlete. I kind of felt I needed baseball, because I love it so much. But the biggest draw was the coach (Brett Boretti). After my visit, I thought he’s almost like my dad, a father figure who was nice but disciplined. I could imagine myself for four years with him at the helm.

3. What is it about baseball you love?

I just like the competitiveness of it. I like that success doesn’t show if you don’t work for it. I wake up every day with a goal in mind that I want to play pro ball. That’s the main goal; everything I do, it’s toward that goal and that’s probably my favorite part of it. Seeing success come out is exciting and a big thing for me.

4. When did you know you were a pitcher?

I didn’t start pitching until two years ago. I was an infielder my whole life. I went to pitching camp for my summer team, Top Tier, and threw my fastball with a velocity of 78-79 (mph), kind of average. But the next week, with one little mechanical tweak, I was up to 85 already, and from there I knew I had talent for it and wanted to keep doing it. I started to learn pitches and the mental game.

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

I feel like basketball is obvious (used to play freshman year) but I would say football too. My dad was a football player in high school and a lot of people say I have the build to be a football player. It seems really fun and another sport where you have to grind and work really hard. It’s a sport I would love to do.

6. What has been your top sports moment so far?

Probably one of my earlier sports memories was in Cooperstown, maybe 14U or 13U. It was the last game of a weeklong trip and I think bottom of the seventh, two outs, we were losing. I was up to bat with two strikes, and I hit a home run in the last at-bat. I got to keep the ball. I was rounding the bases and couldn’t really hear anything. There was a ton of euphoria. I really felt that baseball was what I love to do and it was my first kind of surreal moment in the sport.

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

I really enjoy going to the beach. It’s one of my main things. Sometimes I’ll go with my friends. I love the outdoors, love nature, love spending time with my dogs at the beach. Sometimes I go down to stretch and get my mobility work in. I think it’s a really rejuvenating experience. Something draws me to the water.

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

Recently my go-to has been the Sweettarts ropes. I kinda binge on those. It’s not a super healthy option, but I really crave those sometimes. And then maybe a Gatorade. I switch it up (with flavors). My go-to is blue but yellow is the most refreshing.

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

I think the most interesting thing is I have a knack for art and I am kind of an artist. Not many people think a baseball player is drawn to art, but it’s been one of my hidden talents for very long. Throughout my tenure at New Trier I took a lot of art classes and have my work hung up around the house. I have these little wooden coasters and a carving tool and might start a mini business with that. That’s something interesting that not many people know about.

10. What does New Trier baseball mean to you?

It means a lot for sure. It was four years of my life …. and it’s more than just baseball. The baseball was great, but I made a lot of friends, learned a lot from it, and had valuable experiences. The main thing is the camaraderie and friendships along the way that will hopefully last a lifetime.

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