On an upperclassmen laden team there can be many leaders. One of Washburn baseball’s senior leaders is infielder Brady Hoover.

Hoover is originally from Clearwater, KS but moved to Wichita which is where he calls home now. Upon moving to Wichita, Hoover attended Maize High School.

During his senior year at Maize he helped lead his team to the 6A state championship game and was also named first team all-state in the same season to go along with his all-state honors from the year before.

Hoover is the son of Bob Hoover and Kris Washee-Razey. Bob has been working for Boeing and Cessna for over 20 years and Kris has been working at a flooring retailer called CAP Carpet Inc. for about two years.

Hoover is a transfer from Hutchinson Community College where he played two seasons and was quite successful. He helped the Blue Dragons win 35 games both seasons he was there. Individually, he had a .326 batting average and hit 16 home runs.

Here at Washburn, Hoover is majoring in Integrated Studies with hopes of staying involved with sports in some fashion. He hopes to coach baseball, but if that doesn’t work out he would consider working in the marketing field in event planning for a team.

Coaching is where Brady’s real passion lies, and he hopes to be able to give back to kids.

“I had great coaches growing up and they really allowed me to get to where I am today as a fifth-year senior still playing college baseball,” said Hoover. “So I want to be a coach because I want to be the person that they were for me, so I can be that person for others wanting the same dream I had.”

After having two successful seasons at Hutch you would think it would be difficult to leave and start over somewhere new. Hoover, however, recognized the “family” at Washburn which made the transfer easier.

“When I came on my visit I grew really close with the coaching staff and the coaching staff really reached out to me while I was at Hutch and I could tell that there was that family atmosphere and sure enough it’s been a very good family atmosphere,” said Hoover.

Not only does Hoover feel a part of a family as an Ichabod but he says it’s close to home and that the campus is gorgeous. He loves that everything is close, he get’s everything he could want as a student and an athlete and he appreciates that Topeka is generally cheap.

When Hoover finally gets some free time away from being a college athlete goal number one for him is to relax. He enjoys laying around watching movies, watching sports and hanging out with his teammates and roommates.

Traveling may be in the cards for Hoover once he graduates and is done playing baseball. He hopes to see a game at as many major league baseball ballparks as he can in his lifetime. He will certainly have a long list to choose from as he’s only seen a game in Kansas City and St. Louis. He has visited three other parks but never seen a game at them.

Hoover is an extremely hard worker and doesn’t always say much but can lead in other ways. Senior infielder Lane Harvey recognizes Hoovers hard work and is appreciative.

“Hoover is a guy that leads by example when it comes to playing hard and knowing what is best for the team,” said Harvey. “He brings his best every day and is a good guy for younger guys to model their games after.”

Hoover and the Ichabods will kick off their home schedule March 1 against the Pitt State Gorillas.