The Midway is featuring athletes, selected at random, from school teams for informal interviews about their sports. Rohan Gengler is a senior on the baseball team who was recovering from a leg injury from February. Rohan’s responses have been lightly edited for clarity, style and length.
What’s one thing in your gear bag you can’t live without and why?
“ I would say my glove because that’s the most important part of the game. I think the defense part of baseball is very important to the game, and your entire team will be counting on you when the ball’s heading to you. I’ve had it since the start of baseball, which was ninth grade.”
If you could design your own jersey, what would it look like?
“ We’d have white-and-maroon pinstripe jerseys. It looks cool. I think it’s like the White Sox. I live next to them, so I’ve always watched them growing up.”
What are your pregame rituals or superstitions?
“ I was doing pretty good last season until I started watching ‘The Walking Dead,’ so I think ‘The Walking Dead’ makes me play bad. I can’t watch it on the way to the game. I would just watch it on the bus, and then when I started watching the show, I started playing bad.”
How did you keep your passion in baseball even during your injury?
“ I would say showing up when you can, like going to games and showing up to practices sometimes when I didn’t have physical therapy and other stuff to do. I pulled up on, like, the first day of practice just to meet everyone. They were happy to see me. People were dapping me up, and they were making jokes. It was like I was part of the team. I was just not playing.”
If you could meet one professional athlete, who would it be and why?
“ Tim Anderson has always been my favorite baseball player. I think it would be fun to talk to him. He’s always been a good star player on the White Sox, so I’ve always looked up to him trying to be like him. I’d like to talk to him about what he does to prepare for games and how he practices, so I can get better.”
What is your favorite Gatorade flavor?
“ The fruit punch. I drink it after games. It just, like, keeps me energized. I can’t drink it during games, otherwise I’ll feel bad.”
Coming back from a broken shin, how are you feeling? Do you feel stronger than before?
“ Not yet, I wouldn’t say, but we’re getting there. I can see myself being more balanced than before and working on new muscles. I’m more steady. The smaller supporting muscles are strong and are getting stronger than they were before. Like, I keep doing what I’m doing. I think I’m doing pretty good. I can, like, run. I think I’m like pretty much back. I can do pretty much anything other people do. I just don’t run as much as other people because I’m a little bit slow. I don’t have the endurance still.”
What is your favorite part about baseball?
“ My favorite part is playing catch. It’s kind of like methodical and calming, like before games. It helps me center myself. It’ll calm me down a little bit if I’m a little too nervous or excited.”
A lot of people have pointed out how fast you’ve recovered. How do you think this was possible?
“It’s a little bit of hard work and a little bit of luck. Things just kind of go my way. Put yourself outside of the comfort zone. Sometimes things will just heal by itself if things go your way, and you’re back to walking in a month.”
