Student-Athlete of the Week: Joey DesEnfants

In three seasons with Niwot’s varsity baseball team, Joey DesEnfants has played every single position on the diamond, including a memorable nine-game stint at starting catcher as a freshman. Now, on the cusp of his final season, the “true utility player” is ready for yet another important role: team leader.

“Having a strong veteran leader is important no matter the ages of athletes on your team,” Head Baseball Coach Adam Strah wrote in an email. “However with a young team it is extremely important. Joey will be the senior with the most amount of varsity experience… That experience and knowledge can help our young players understand what it means to play at a high level and love Niwot Baseball.”

For his part, DesEnfants is eager to assume the new mantle, and, like his coach, hopes to pass along more than just tips about gameplay.

“My hopes for the team are less about winning and more about growing and playing as a team, as a unit,” he wrote in an email. “Personally, I hope to pass on the Niwot culture and work ethic to the younger players.”

DesEnfants has plugged many gaps for the Cougars in the last three seasons, and proved an indispensable part of the team’s defense. Next year, he will likely find himself in familiar territory behind the plate when he takes over at catcher from recent grad Colton Goldfarb. He also hopes to be in the Cougars’ pitching rotation.

The right-hander is coming off a successful summer season with the Colorado Rough Riders, a competitive club team based in Superior. Joined by Niwot teammates Ben and Josh Strid, DesEnfants said it was a very positive experience overall.

“We were a very tight team in terms of friendships and that really helped us get the over .500 record this summer,” he wrote. “I exceeded my expectations and grew more than I thought I could in such a small period of time.”

DesEnfants is hoping to bring much of what he learned with the Rough Riders back to Niwot for next year’s varsity season, including a few “very minor but extremely helpful communication techniques that will help keep us locked in the whole game.”

Then there is one lesson he termed “extremely important.”

“Baseball is a game of failure,” he wrote. “And you need a short memory to get past the failures in order to get better.”

Off the diamond, DesEnfants is looking forward to taking AP Statistics and AP Psychology during his senior year at Niwot, and claims math and science as his favorite subjects. He is also a talented singer, and has been active in school choirs dating back to elementary school. This year, he plans to take at least one choir class but “maybe two at the same time” if the scheduling works out.

“Managing both school and athletics is definitely a challenge,” he wrote. “What helps a lot for me, though, is having a routine or schedule that I follow to help make sure that I stay consistent.”

As for his post-graduation plans, DesEnfants hopes to continue his baseball career, a move fully supported by Strah.

“If Joey decides he wants to play college baseball, I 100 percent expect to see him doing so,” he wrote. “He has all the tools to land somewhere at the collegiate level.”

DesEnfants has started the recruiting process with the assistance of both his club and high school coaches, but does not have any particular school in mind. Wherever he ends up, he plans to study sports science to become a sports trainer or a physical therapist. He also hopes to remain active in choir.