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Mahtomedi's Sean Hjelle Has Kentucky On His Mind

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Mahtomedi's Sean Hjelle is made for basketball, and maybe baseball.

He's 6 feet 11 inches tall and he's good in the low post. But he thinks his future is on the mound.

Watch him on the basketball court and you see a kid with potential -- big potential.

"My mom is a big basketball fan, and my whole family, and basketball has always been fun to play," Hjelle said. "But I always tell people basketball is a love and baseball's a passion."

The big guy has a big arm, too. He takes the mound with a presence, poise, a plan and a lot of potential.

"It's a whole different angle that's he's throwing from and he's a pretty consistent arm slot," Mahtomedi baseball Coach John Hardgrove said. "The amazing thing about Sean is his athleticism. I mean, his feet are so quick and he fields his position extremely well, and he's got all the tools."

Part of it is that he loves to compete, and part of it is that he loves being a part of team sports.

"It's kind of a bulldog mentality. I don't like walking guys, I don't like seeing guys on base when I'm on the mound," Hjelle said. "I just try to go out and get every guy, and I can't do it without the other eight guys in the field with me."

Part of that goes back to basketball.

"We sure like that cross training as far as basketball goes, too, but he kind of has the best of both worlds, and it truly helps," Hardgrove said.

Watch him pitch or play first base and you get a sense that he's just comfortable in an arena where he can compete and be with teammates.

His next stop is the University of Kentucky.

"I like the area, the rolling hills of Kentucky, I love it, it's beautiful there," Hjelle said. "Lexington is a great city. The coaches are great, I love those guys."

For now, it's all about mastering this game, and growing into an ace.

"It's kind of a weight-gain thing for him and a strength thing, and he knows that," Hardgrove said. "He's a young senior, and they're going to do the right things wherever he is going to be at after our season is done. But he's got a very high ceiling, and there are just some things you can't teach, and Sean has a lot of those qualities already in place."

And who knows, at Kentucky, with all the NBA defections every year, maybe, just maybe.

"People have been asking me if Coach [John] Calipari is going to call me (laughs). But, you know, we'll see," Hjelle said. "He might, but we won't know until we get down there I guess."

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