Athlete of the Week: Desmond Lindsay

Desmond Lindsay hit his fifth home run of the season to lead The Out-of-Door Academy to a 12-3 victory over DeSoto County Feb. 28. The sophomore first and third baseman has hit a home run in five of ODA’s seven games so far this season, helping lead the Thunder to a 6-1 record (2-0 Class 3A-District 10).

"I worked out and trained really hard over the summer and during the offseason. I’ve always been able to hit the ball, but working out over the summer added the power.

I hit my first home run on the Little League fields when I was about 8 years old. It was after practice, and I was hitting extra with my coach. I hit it to dead center. I was just really excited. I didn’t think about anything else because I finally hit one out.

I just want to win. As long as I’m helping the team win, then I’m fine.

I play travel ball for Team Impact. It’s just a little looser. It’s not so serious.

There aren’t a lot of kids here, but I’ve had the opportunity to play (varsity) as a freshman and a sophomore, whereas a lot of other schools you usually have to wait until you’re a junior or a senior because there are more kids. It gives me an edge on other people, because I’ve had two extra years (of) experience playing high school baseball.

My fondest baseball memory is going to Disney Nationals with my old travel team, the Lakewood Ranch Longhorns. At that age, it was one of the biggest trips I’d ever been on for baseball or vacation. It was a week of playing baseball nonstop, and I got to spend a week in a hotel with my friends.

Baseball has taught me about composure. I’ve learned to keep myself composed when I get angry about striking out. I just have to keep going and not worry about it. "