KINGSBURG, Calif. (KFSN) — At 6’7″, Jensen Hirschkorn is heads above other baseball players his age, and we’re not just talking about his height.
“I usually get 10-15 emails a day from scouts wanting to know how his progress is and when he’s going to throw,” says coach Jim Cranford.
MLB scouts have been all over Jensen, showing up to games any time he’s scheduled to pitch.
“I know a lot of people have him high on their draft boards,” Cranford said.
MLB’s website has Jensen in the top 30 prospects for this year’s draft, and the tenth-best player coming out of high school.
Coach Cranford describes his pitcher as a generational talent.
“You know, he’s (Jensen) a once-in-a-lifetime kid,” Cranford said. “I’ve been doing this for 40 years. He’s the best one I’ve coached, and they just don’t come around like him.”
Jensen isn’t the only Hirschkorn to come through Kingsburg. His twin brothers also played for the Vikings and are both playing college ball.
“They’re some of the hardest workers I know,” Jensen said. “Learning from them and taking what I can from them, and just coach Cranford always keeping us disciplined, working hard and making sure we earn everything.”
Jensen’s dad is Oscar Hirschkorn, the longtime head coach at Fresno Pacific. For Coach Cranford, it’s hard to remember a time without the Hirschkorn name in his lineup.
“The first time I saw Jensen, he was a sixth grader,” Cranford said. “We needed some players for a summer league game, and he came up and played. In a double-header, he went 6-for-6 and played like five different positions. Not to offend his brothers, but he was the best player on that field as a sixth grader.”
Now a senior, Jensen is committed to play at LSU, one of the best baseball programs in the country.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Jensen said. “You know, just dreaming about it since I was a little kid. Just wanted to compete with the best players.”
Back in Kingsburg, Jensen’s teammates can’t deny the impact he’s made.
“He’s a leader on the field,” says Jonah Lopez. “He’s a leader off it, too. You see Jensen downtown walking around. All the kids want to act a little better.”
The small town legend – ready to make it big.
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