Name: Mason Rapp
School: Mt. Vernon
Sport: Baseball
Grade: Senior
Position: Catcher
Jersey number: 19
Nominated by: Marauders manager Ryan Carr
Coach’s take: In his initial stint three years ago at Mt. Vernon as an assistant baseball coach, Carr was a big fan of Rapp’s.
“You could just tell right away, even when he was freshman, he was in it for the right reasons,” Carr said. “He was all about the team, not himself.”
Nothing has changed since Carr returned to the Marauders.
“I love that kid,” Carr said. “He does everything we ask of him. He pushes people. He works hard.”
Rapp has grown close to Carr this year, serving as one of his teacher’s assistants at the high school. Rapp, like Carr, wants to become a history teacher and baseball coach, and Carr has become a sort of mentor to him both on and off the field.
“He’s trying to learn how to teach and coach from me, which is probably a mistake,” Carr said with a laugh.
Rapp helps out wherever needed, not just with items like grading, Carr said. He’s just as valuable to the team. As the bullpen catcher, he’ll let his teammates know what pitches work and which ones don’t, Carr said.
“Obviously, he’s able to tell us things the kid warming up in the bullpen won’t tell us,” Carr said. “He’s like another coach for us, actually like a coach in training. … I’d absolutely hire him if he ever wanted to come back here and coach after college.”
Signature moment: Rapp has not had many opportunities to play this season, but Carr said his contributions exceed any one moment.
“He’s just always aware of what’s happening, which is a nice thing to see in a high school kid,” Carr said.
And he’s the epitome of a team player.
“The other thing is nothing is beneath him,” Carr said. “He does whatever we ask. On Tuesday, he kept the book for us (usually the job of an underclassmen). He’s a senior, and he did that.”
