Surprise Slugger: Hass enjoying first RCBL season

By Matthew Atkins

STUARTS DRAFT - June 5 was a typical summer night in Montezuma. The weather was warm, there was a picture-perfect baseball sunset, and the RCBL was about to be introduced to Will Hass.
 
The visiting Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks had lost to the Montezuma Braves the previous night, but the four-time champions had something different planned this time. The Dbacks pounded the Braves 12-1 to win the game by slaughter rule, and their rookie shortstop stole the show.
 
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, dude what are you doing?’” Hass said about the reaction from his three-home run game. “It was almost like an out-of-body experience for me. It probably will never happen again. That was pretty special.”
 
Hass finished that game 3-for-5 at the plate with three home runs and six RBIs. His strong performance helped lead the Dbacks to their second win of the season.
 
A little over a week later, Hass hit his fourth home run of the season at Buck Bowman Park, taking the league lead in homers. The fact that he sits at the top of the league’s sluggers comes as a surprise even to him.
 
“No, not at all,” Hass replied when asked if he’s usually a power hitter. “I hit five this year at STAB and I hadn’t hit one in high school before then, so coming in here, I just started focusing on the gaps. I don’t know what’s happened this year, but I’m just seeing the ball well and driving it.”
 
Playing in the RCBL for his first time, Hass has become one of Draft’s most consistent threats at the plate. He is currently batting .388 with four homers and 12 RBIs on the season.

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"It's been an awesome experience and I'm really glad I'm doing it."

Facing older, more experienced players can be daunting, but Hass hasn’t been intimidated at all, instead saying that he’s loved his time in the league so far.
 
“Oh it’s awesome. Just the experience, being out here with the older guys,” Hass said. “Playing well is always fun. I was really excited coming in, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it’s been an awesome experience and I’m really glad I’m doing it.”
 
Even though he’s only in his first season in the RCBL, Hass recognizes the history behind the league as the oldest amateur league in the country. He knows about the great players that have come through the area and enjoys the opportunity to play on the same fields as they did.
 
“Yeah it’s definitely cool,” Hass said about the league’s history. “To be playing in the league, just being around some of these guys, some guys who played professional, who played in college, it’s been a really cool experience.”
 
One of those former professional players that Hass was particularly excited about playing against is Bridgewater first baseman Brian Bocock, who had stints in MLB with the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.
 
When the Dbacks faced off against the Reds on June 20, Hass reached base twice, giving him an opportunity to meet the former pro.
 
“It’s awesome. I knew about him before I even played him,” Hass said about competing against Bocock. “I got a hit, got to first and he was standing there and he was like, ‘Hey, nice hit.’”
 
“That’s awesome, a former big leaguer is talking to me about that.”
 
A graduate of St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, Hass wanted to find somewhere to play summer ball before heading off to college in the fall. Luckily for the Dbacks slugger, he knew a few former Draft players who put him in touch with the team.
 
“I knew Tanner Morris who played here last year and Luke Burton who played here last year from Charlottesville,” Hass said. “Luke Burton was like, ‘You should play in this league,’ and he gave me Les Sandridge’s number and I contacted him and that’s sort of how it all started.”
 
Morris and Burton both played for the Dbacks last season before beginning careers in NCAA Division I baseball. Morris led the league in batting average before reporting to UVA at the end of the summer, where he started in 50 games for the Cavaliers this season.
 
Burton played his freshman season at Davidson College, appearing in seven games for the Wildcats.
 
Hass won’t be joining either one of them at the Division I level, but he’s all right with that. The Atlanta, Ga. native will be attending Randolph-Macon College, where he expects to get an opportunity to play right away for the Yellow Jackets.
 
“I thought I can go to a small DI and maybe play, maybe not, and probably not win a lot, or I can go to a place like Randolph-Macon, hopefully make an impact when I first get there, and win a national championship, which is my dream,” Hass said.
 
He visited other schools when making his college decision, but ultimately it came down to where he felt he belonged.
 
“I had a couple offers and I did some overnights at each place and it really came down to the school,” Hass said. “I really like the school, the feel of the school. Obviously the baseball team, they just made the College World Series, so that definitely helped me make my decision.”
 
Hass has played baseball his entire life and he feels like his travel ball experiences have helped him so far in the RCBL. Now that he’s heading off to college, the RCBL is helping him prepare for the next step in his baseball career.
 
“Playing travel ball, I played against some kids who just got drafted, I played with and against them, so they were obviously pretty good,” Hass said. “I think playing against them got me ready for playing here and in college, but there are definitely some guys in this league that I get up there and I’m like he can blow it by me if he wants to. Which is great, like I said it’s getting me ready for college.”
 
Stuarts Draft has gotten off to a bit of a rough start this season as the Diamondbacks are currently 4-8. In their first game back from the All-Star break, though, the Dbacks pounded Grottoes for a 15-1 slaughter rule win.

Hass went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and an RBI in the win. He feels like the team is starting to put the rocky start behind them and turn their season around as they near the halfway point.
 
“We’re going to pick it up. I know the history’s there. It’s been a little rough at times, but I feel like we get everyone back, everyone’s starting to warm up a little bit,” Hass said. “Even in our last couple of games, everyone’s starting to hit a little better, pitch a little better. So hopefully after the All-Star break we can pick it up and make a run.”
 
If you catch a Stuarts Draft game this season, make sure to keep your eye out for their star shortstop. You might be a bit confused when trying to find him on the field, though; his last name is misspelled on his jersey.
 
“It was just a mistake,” Hass said about the misspelling. “My coach, he accidentally sent it in as Haas, and they just ordered a new jersey for me, so that should be coming in soon.”
 
He’s not upset about the mistake, though. In fact, it actually works out better for him.
 
“The joke is like, with Haas, they actually pronounce my name right, which is interesting, instead of Hass,” he said. “But yeah, I’ll get a new jersey here in a couple of weeks.”