He never could have guessed this would be the last time.
Heston Kjerstad stepped up to the plate and drilled a single straight up the middle, his second hit of what turned out to be a 10-9 win for Arkansas over Grand Canyon. He did not know it then, but it would be the final hit of a decorated collegiate career for the young man from Amarillo, Texas. Kjerstad separated himself, in many ways during his three years as a Razorback, but unlike many of his fellow American players looking ahead to this evening’s MLB Draft, baseball was not in his blood from the beginning. He is not the son of a former pro player, a college coach, or even a big baseball fan. In fact, his father never even played baseball. Yet, from the age of three, Kjerstad remembers always having a strong attraction to the sport, and thanks to a pure drive to succeed, has carved out a path of greatness on the diamond.
“What I saw was that he obsessed with baseball," his father, Dave, told WholeHogsSports. "He just enjoyed it so much. I never told him to play. Never told him to practice. I just felt that it should be their passion and it should be their idea. It was for him with baseball.”
The name Kjerstad originates in Norway, the home of his ancestors, who at some point, immigrated to South Dakota as cattle farmers. A rough life in South Dakota, brought his parents to the Texas panhandle in the 1980s, where they established a bottled water and iced tea business that became so profitable, allowed them to open another location in Dallas. It coincided with the years Kjerstad played travel ball for a team out of Dallas, allowing him to go between Amarillo and Dallas to face the best competition.
“Because of the business it worked out where we could travel for baseball for Heston,” said his father Dave, to WholeHogSports.com. “There were a lot of trips to Dallas. We’d just drive them together. It was about then that he was learning to drive. Dallas is a good place to teach a 16-year-old to drive.”
While he did not get his baseball talent from his dad, he did get his height. Dave stands at 6’4, and Heston just below him at 6’3. His height makes him an even more dangerous hitter, with the ability to reach across the strike zone and make contact with outside pitches. When he makes contact, he does not just put the bat on the ball. He pounds the ball. In the season opener against Eastern Illinois in February, he put on a show for the home crowd by swatting two homers, and finished college with 35 home runs over three seasons. Amongst all of the qualities that make Kjerstad such a great selection for any pro ballclub, his timing is at the top of the list. As you can see in the video below, he hardly ever hits the ball to left or right field. More often than not, he makes contact and drives it straight up the middle. His .345 batting average over three years at Arkansas is testament enough to that.
Considering Norway is a nation where the temperature almost never gets above 60 degrees, baseball is not all too popular, though they do have a national baseball team. Who knows, in a few years, Kjerstad may be leading them to the World Baseball Classic, just as Tim Tebow did by representing the Philippines this past year. The bottom line being, very few in the MLB tie their last name back to the small European country. Since the beginning of the MLB, only four native Norweigians have played in the league. Currently, there are a few in the big leagues who trace their ancestry back, one being the New York Mets’ ace, Noah Syndergaard, better known by baseball fans as “Thor” for his long, blonde hair, that resembles the Marvel superhero.
With the path Kjerstad has taken, dominating each level he’s played at, every sign points to Kjerstad joining that small group of Norweigna descendents to reach the highest level of baseball. And it begins with the MLB Draft on Wednesday night, where he will most certainly be a first round pick. The question is, to which ballclub?
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com has Kjerstad going at No. 7 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. His colleague Jim Callis has projected he will be taken one pick later at No. 8, by the San Diego Padres.
Regardless of where Kjerstad ends up on his journey to the big leagues, the level of respect he carries to all of his opponents will remain intact. That is the reason why he admires Hall of Famer Derek Jeter so much.
“He treats everyone with such respect,” Kjerstad said of Jeter to WholeHogsSports. “He’s a
great teammate. I want to be like that. I want to be a great teammate.”
Kjerstad is from the Texas panhandle. His parents are from South Dakota. His ancestors are from Norway. Wherever Kjerstad’s baseball career takes him, he will honor the family name. Along with it, his bat will continue to be a constant force at the plate. The best is yet to come for Kjerstad.
The first round of the MLB Draft will be on ESPN tonight starting a 6pm CT. Tomorrow will be rounds 2-5 beginning at 4pm CT on ESPN.
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