Senior Ripken Kiesling walks out onto the baseball field. It’s his senior year, and he’s ready to help take down the opposing team. He winds up his pitch and releases the ball at lightning-fast speed, sailing by the opposing batter. The umpire yells “strike” as the Indians head to the dugout to close the inning.
Kiesling is a member of the Baseball team and newspaper at Fort Osage. He joined the baseball team in 2020 and the newspaper in 2022. Kiesling fondly looks back on his accomplishments during that time.
“During Freshman year, I threw a perfect game,” Kiesling said, “it was only three innings, but we won 18-0.”
Kiesling has been playing baseball for 13 years and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Junior Dane McCollum feels that Kiesling creates energy on the team.
“Ripken brings the energy to the team,” McCollum said, “when he’s not there you can really tell. Last year after tryouts we pitched each other and only threw curve balls.”
Kiesling plans to attend the Metropolitan Community College for two years after graduating, before moving to a four-year school to get his degree in Journalism. Junior Alex Todd believes that Kiesling helps make baseball feel more like a family.
“Ripken really brings a bond to the team,” Todd said, “that makes it feel like we’re all connected like a family.”
After the game ends, Kiesling circles up with his teammates and Coach Bissel to discuss the game. Following the discussion, the team leads out with a “one-two-three Indians!”
