Ever since
Parkway South (Manchester, Mo.) senior center fielder
Dan Holst can remember, his father Bruce, has been reminding him of one simple but important baseball truth.
The cleanliness of a player's uniform speaks volumes for the heart and effort that a player gives on the baseball diamond. In other words, getting down and dirty is an essential part of the game of baseball.
"He's always saying to me, ‘If you're not getting dirty then you're probably not doing everything that you can,'" MaxPreps' No. 89 overall player in the Class of 2012 said.
Dan Holst, Parkway South
Photo courtesy of Dan Holst
Heeding his father's words, and acting on them, now has Holst staring down the barrel of his bat at a win-win decision he will soon have to make. Upon his high school graduation, Holst's baseball future will either turn toward a four-year career at soon-to-be Southeastern Conference baseball power Texas A&M, or at the possibility of getting an early jump on a professional baseball career.
Much like the brand of baseball that he plays, Holst said his recruitment by the Aggies as well as schools like Nebraska, Missouri State, fellow SEC newcomer Missouri and Big 12 schools Kansas and Kansas State, was chaotic. Holst faithfully kept up with the many emails he received from those schools for fear that he could lose the interest of any one of them.
Ultimately Texas A&M, who crawled onto the Holst recruiting board a little later than the other schools, won out.
"They are a top-notch program and they're losing all three of their outfielders to the draft at the end of this season," Holst said of the Aggies. " They will have three new outfielders and I hope to be in that mix for playing time. They are bringing in several new outfielders next year.
"They like my speed and that I can hit for a high average. I'm an on-base kind of guy and I play baseball the way it's supposed to be played."
Just like the message that he embraced from his father, Holst listens to and acts upon the exhortations of Patriot 14th-year coach Adam Stahl.
"I go out and play hard," Holst said. "Coach Stahl still preaches ‘high energy' and that we should get after them no matter what the score is. I don't even look at the scoreboard until the game is over.
"You have to go out and wreak havoc on the base paths – taking an extra big lead puts stress on the defense. Striking out is bad. It's important to make contact with the baseball – and to make the defense work. Between innings we sprint out and get into position on defense before the other team can make it into the dugout. It all wears on a team mentally."
Looking back on Holst's high school career, Stahl realized early on that Holst had an opportunity to be a special player for him.
The three-time first team All-Suburban South infielder turned outfielder in 2012 hit .398 as a freshman to earn second team all conference honors. As a sophomore and as a junior Holst hit .488 and .492 respectively, taking home first-team all league honors – including a Co-Player of the Year nod a season ago.
"He's fearless, but he never allows his emotions to run too high or too low," Stahl said. "I knew when he was a freshman that he would be a special player for us the next three years.
"He's naturally gifted. He could crawl out of bed after not working out for two weeks and get five hits. The baseball gods were pretty good to that kid. He works his tail off, but that's probably not his favorite thing to do. He has always hit. He loves to hit. He can't hit enough."
Holst is tough too. During a 5-3 Class 4, District 4 win over Kirkwood (Kirkwood, Mo.) in 2010, Holst was struck in the face by a pitch. However, no injury was going to keep Holst out of the lineup in a district semifinal contest against Lafayette (Wildwood, Mo.) the next day.
Holst's eye was swollen and his vision somewhat blurred, but he and the Patriots rallied from a 10-4 deficit against the Lancers before winning 11-10. Parkway South then upended Vianney (Kirkwood, Mo.) 9-3 for the district title.
Oakville (St. Louis, Mo.) knocked the Patriots out of the playoffs with a 9-3 state sectional win to wreck Holst's hopes of a state title as a sophomore. A year ago, Holst said Parkway South peaked too early and experienced the agony of defeat once again before the state playoffs began – leaving he and his 2011-12 teammates hungry for a deep run into the postseason this season.
The Patriots played a strong schedule early this spring, knocking off a very good Westminster Christian (St. Louis, Mo.) club 9-5 in the season opener as well as Parkway Central (Chesterfield, Mo.) and St. Charles (St. Charles, Mo.) before dropping back-to-back contests to 20-win teams Howell Central (St. Charles, Mo.) and Maine South (Park Ridge, Ill.) to begin the season 3-2.
Holst and company have won 18 of their last 23 contests to improve to 21-7 on the season after knocking off eighth-seeded Union (Union, Mo.) 12-2 Saturday in a first round Class 4, District 4 contest. On Monday, the Patriots will attempt to take another step toward qualifying for the state playoffs when they go up against the winner of the Marquette (Chesterfield, Mo.)-Pacific (Pacific, Mo.) contest.
"We've been fortunate to get the No. 1 seed," Holst said. "Everything looks good to this point. The guys on the team are all working hard. Our goal again this year is to win the last game, and we can do that if we continue to work hard."
The Patriots intend on tackling postseason play with their typical ‘take no prisoners' approach to the game of baseball. Regardless of whether or not Stahl's squad plays for all of the marbles this season, the Patriots definitely won't be an easy out.
"We're an aggressive team with the bats," Holst said. "We're not looking to walk – but we will take them. We have a couple of guys that are in double digits with doubles and we have guys that hit very well for average, but we'll use small ball too. We put a lot of pressure on you.
"There isn't a gimme out on this team. When the pitcher comes home with a pitch we want him to realize that there is a pretty good chance the ball will come right back at him. If we're going to lose a game, we're going to go down swinging."
Craig Ringe, who played in the Texas Rangers Organization, has worked with Holst's hitting approach the past three years and he can vouch for the Patriots' ability to be a handful up and down the lineup.
"They are a good group of guys to work with," he said. "As a team, they have a certain style at the plate. They hit as a group, not as individuals. As a collective group they take the same approach throughout the lineup. It's all about passing the at bat on to the guy behind them."
Holst is definitely doing his part to make sure that the Patriots keep opposing pitchers on their toes. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is hitting .449 through 27 games in 2012 with 25 runs batted in and 29 runs scored. Holst has put together a solid .529 on base percentage and his slugging percentage stands at .640 in 106 plate appearances during his senior season.
He has kept the pressure on opposing defenses by earning 13 walks this season, to just four strikeouts, and has stolen 11 bases in 11 attempts.
"Dan has grown at the plate maturity-wise," Ringe said of Holst's development. "Plus, he has more strength and more power. His arm strength has improved dramatically. He throws well from the outfield. Dan is a hard worker – a team guy. He's more worried about the team than he is concerned with himself."
Whether Holst goes on to play professionally following June's Major League Baseball Amateur Draft or opts to compete for coach Rob Childress and the Aggies over the next four years, he is taking the same approach in preparing for baseball after high school.
"I'm always making sure everything feels right," he said. "I have to become more physical and I'm working on taking the right angles when I get ready to catch the ball so I can make good throws. I can't always control my numbers, but I can control my work ethic and make sure my swing stays fine. I think I'll get a good pick. I'm always working on my mental aspects of the game as well. If I don't get picked, I'll be happy to go to college and learn more."
