MENAUL/OAK GROVE BASEBALL PLAYER IS DOING SOME “HEAVY LIFTING”
In a short period of time, the Menaul/Oak Grove baseball team is forcing opponents to take notice. “We’ve got a lot of ballers on the team and a lot of kids that have improved tremendously over the past couple years,” said head coach Jay Rush.
One of those kids is senior catcher Noah Rush. “My dad played through college, and I always wanted to be like my dad,” said Noah. “I grew up with him coaching me and I grew up loving the game. I watched movies about it. Growing up around the culture of baseball has always been super fun for me.”
“Ever since he started playing in Little League, he has been a better catcher than I ever was,” said his father. “His work ethic is unparalleled, he puts in the time, he puts in the effort. He’s a special kid and I’m very proud of him as his dad.”
Noah is not only a successful baseball player; he’s also a state champion powerlifter, excelling in the deadlift. “I think his PR right now is 615 (pounds),” said Jay. “You may as well be asking someone to pull up the world, in my opinion. I was surprised, but he does always put in the work. He’s up at the crack of dawn, sometimes at 4 or 4:30 in the morning, in order to get a workout in before the day begins.”
“Originally I got into weightlifting so I could be better at baseball, and have more power,” said Noah. “I found out I was ok at it, so I decided to lift more and more, heavier and heavier.”
It appears the lifting is helping. Earlier this season, Noah hit a grand slam in three consecutive games. “It was crazy,” recalls Noah. “The first one I hit of the three was the second grand slam I’ve ever hit in my life. The second one I was surprised that it was two in a row, two games in a row. The third one, I walked up there knowing I had a chance for three, so I tried to stay calm and not make it a big thing. I just tried to get a line drive up the middle and it just went for me.”
Menaul/Oak Grove was upset in the quarterfinals last season to eventual state champion Tularosa. Rush and the Owls earned a first-round bye into the quarterfinals and will play the McCurdy-Mescalero Apache winner next week.
