Henryetta senior Austin Palmer is a multi-sport athlete who enters his final season of baseball with two goals in mind.
“First off, I would like to hit in the high .300s this year for average and I want to win a district title which hasn’t happened here in 10-11 years.”
A four-year starter for the Knights, Palmer brings a lot to the table according to his head coach Bryan Leader.
“He’s a good, solid middle infielder at shortstop or second base and also gives us a lot of valuable innings on the mound. He’s pitched in middle relief most of his time but this year will see more starting assignments. As a leader he’s not a real loud rah-rah guy but he’s more of the guy who shows up every day, ready to grind it out and leads by example which is great because while we have talent, we’re pretty young this year and he’s always picking up those freshmen and sophomores that need a little encouragement.”
Austin enjoys playing baseball and basketball and he’ll run track for the first time this year. While he’s played baseball since he was four, there are things about basketball, where he plays shooting guard, that he also enjoys.
“I didn’t start playing basketball until middle school but I like it because of the constant back and forth action of the game.”
He’s enjoyed getting to play with his older brother all through school and growing up admired the play of major leaguers like Derek Jeter and Mike Trout but says his dad and grandpa are probably his favorite role models.
“They both are hard working and do whatever they can to help and always put others first and they never give up.”
Austin also has a passion for FFA which he has been in for several years.
“I’m a chapter officer this year. I’ve shown steers in past years and have been involved in things like cattle grading and wildlife management as well as some speech contests,” said Palmer who is also in the National Honor Society.
After high school, Austin plans to attend OSU-IT with an eye towards becoming a civil engineer and has a simple thought on his legacy as a Knight.
“I’d like to be remembered as just one of the guys they played with, not some stuck-up senior, but as someone they enjoyed playing with and that made baseball fun.”
