Leavenworth junior pitcher Joshua Lucas is not a person that usually begs for attention. He's a young man that is fairly reserved, but well liked by his teammates. But, Josh had plenty to talk about this week.
For starters, he's the Hy-Vee 41 Five-Star Athlete of the Week.
"It was a bit of a surprise," Lucas said. "I just [saw] the award and said that's really cool. I'm just glad. I never thought I would get an award like this."
Josh was quite the double threat in the last week-plus. He had two RBI's and three strikeouts in two innings of work, during their 15-10 victory against Lansing in the Chris Naething Spring Memorial Classic this past Saturday. He had four hits and two RBI's last Thursday against Olathe East.
But, there was no finer performance than his no-hitter against Shawnee Mission North on March 31st. Lucas also hit a two-RBI double in that game. It certainly got the attention of his teammates and coaches.
"Anytime a player can throw a no-hitter, that makes it easy on the defense," Leavenworth Head Coach Joe Allison said. "And, it's also a lot of fun. They don't happen very often. And, we told him that and the team that. And, you know, including the Freshman Catcher that caught the game for him. He had a blast doing that."
Lucas was certainly excited about his accomplishment on the mound as well.
"It was really awesome you know. It's always gonna look good for Leavenworth that one of our student athletes just pitched a no-hitter you know. And, pitching a no-hitter is always an awesome thing to do," Josh said.
The Pioneers are 7-2 on the season and are off to one of their best starts ever. Coach Allison knows how important Josh has been to their early success.
"Josh has been a big part of our program as well as many of these other Juniors. So, it's been extremely important for him to be successful this year as a Junior," Coach Allison said. "He's come out and he's thrown strikes. He's eliminated free bases. And, he's just been a competitor from first pitch to lasts pitch."
Lucas says he is certainly thankful to his family at home and his teammates for their support. He's also thankful for the support of his Head Coach.
"Coach Allison - he's always been there for me. You know, ever since I was little, he would always come out to my Blue Jay games, you know, and tell me what I need to do," says Lucas. "[He shows] me how to play my position well. And, this year, he's really done a lot for me."
NOTE: The Hy-Vee 41 Five-Star Athlete of the Week segment airs Thursday night during the 10 p.m. sportscast.
