Senior Kai MacQuiddy is known for his dedication to San Francisco Giants attire and Spotify covers. Now, he can add Division III baseball player to that list.
“When I gave it some thought, I couldn’t imagine my last high school game being my last baseball game ever,” Kai said. “So, at the start of this year, I got serious and decided that I wanted to play in college.”
This past summer, Kai participated in showcases to meet with coaches and played in five-minute pitching innings. At Stanford, he caught the eye of an Amherst University coach and stayed in touch for the next month.
In early October, Kai received a call to visit the school in Massachusetts. There, he met the Amherst baseball team and received an official offer.
“I know much work he’s put in, and he’s a super smart kid,” Kai’s club coach Joey Rogers said. “Amherst will be tough academically, and Kai said that he really liked the kids in the team, so I’m sure it’s the right fit for him.”
Senior Jagger Heath has been Kai’s teammate since his freshman year, playing high school and club baseball with him.
“Kai just has the ability to connect with people like no other,” Jagger said. “We’ve always been throwing partners, which is a very significant statement in the baseball world. Your throwing partner is like your spouse, and I know how hard he works.”
Kai officially started playing baseball at the Cooperstown baseball tournament in New York when he was 12, and he joined varsity baseball his junior year. Through his baseball journey, Kai credits Los Altos High School Head Coach Gabriel Stewart and his parents as his biggest supporters.
“We came off a great high school season with Coach Stewart, and that momentum really played into my summer,” Kai said. “My parents put a lot of time, effort, and money into helping me through, not just the general college process, but things like flights and coordinating visits for my showcases.”
When he’s not pitching or up at bat, Kai still finds ways to be involved in the baseball world. During his free time, Kai umpires for a Twin Creeks league. Last year, he officially became their youngest umpire.
“I just met a lot of great people from umpiring, and they want me to kind of go on to professional umpiring after, which might be something I do after college,” Kai said.
With the tips and wisdom he’s learned from umpiring older players, Kai can connect his passions.
“Last summer, our umpire was running late, so Kai came out in this full umpire attire,” Rogers said. “I knew he umpired on the side, but he actually came out of nowhere with the dedication.”
“What stands out to me is how much he cares,” Jagger said. “Kai deserves this commitment more than anyone — he is baseball.”
