Jackson Wenstrom, the Vikings home run king
By: Kofi Agyeman
Staff Writer
In his second year, Hudson Valley Community College Viking’s, outfielder Jackson Wenstrom is leading the baseball team by example.
Coming out of Mandan, North Dakota, the 6-foot-3-inch, 270-pound criminal justice major, Jackson Wenstrom, is making waves in the world of America’s favorite past time.
Wenstrom is a 2018 NJCAA All American First Team nominee, and he, along with the Vikings, are having a stellar season.
With 20 wins and nine losses so far this season, Wenstrom is confident in the team.
“The semester has been kind of hectic, but we’re all excited that we have more baseball to play and I feel very good about the team we have,” he said.
Wenstrom currently has a .388 batting average with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in only 80 at-bats. A stat line that stands with the best in Hudson Valley Community College’s baseball history.
Not only is Wenstrom the Viking’s home run king, but he also already has a Gold Glove in his career for excellence at fielding.
“I hit 14 home runs last year and have eight so far this year, but I try not to focus as much on the numbers,” he said.
Wenstrom is looking to improve upon last year’s performance and while he still keeps track of how many baseballs he knocks out of the park, his focus seems to be on the bigger picture.
“My motivation is to be the best person I can be on and off the field,” he said.
While it’s a toss-up between former MLB players and Minnesota twins stars, Torii Hunter or Joe Mauer as his greatest source of inspiration, Wenstrom’s love for sports does not stop at the diamond.
“My favorite baseball team is the Minnesota Twins, of course, after the HVCC Vikings, my favorite hockey team is the Calgary Flames and [my favorite] football team is the Cowboys,” he explained. “Being from North Dakota, you kind of get to pick your professional teams.”
Wenstrom also explained the importance of enjoying multiple sports.
“I think that baseball is popular in America just like many other sports, but I also like to play and watch other sports so I don’t think I focus too much on the popularity of one sport in general,” he said.
You can catch the midwest monster batting home runs out of the park Saturday, May 11 at Hudson Valley Community College for the Region 3 subregional playoffs. This comes fresh off the Vikings victory over Mohawk Valley Community College.