Baseball has been a part of Caden Konen’s life for as long as he can remember. From the age of four when he played in his first game to this, his final year of high school baseball, he is thankful for all the opportunities he has had because of the game he loves.

“Playing sports has given me the opportunity to make long-lasting friendships even kids from other teams,” he said. “I have also experienced a lot of really good moments, but my favorite would have to be winning baseball regionals at Vici and advancing to the state tournament.”

Konen is a senior at Navajo High School where he plays shortstop, third base, and pitcher as a member of the baseball team. He also is a member of the basketball team where he plays whatever position his team needs him to play. 

His life has been touched by a number of people that have helped shape him into the person that he is. Out of all of them, there are a few people that have had a bigger impact. 

“My mom is my biggest role model,” he said. “She always encourages me to work hard at everything that I do. Another person would be coach Winters. He started coaching me when I was in elementary school, and he has always worked hard to get me and my teammates to where we are today. He always teaches us to not just be good ballplayers, but also good young men. My nephews, Rhett and Miller, are always there to watch me and it makes me work harder so I can be a great example for them to look up to.”

Navajo baseball coach Weston Winters says that Konen brings a lot to the table including experience and leadership.

“He is the senior leader for our team,” coach Winters said. “The only returning player from last year with three years’ experience as we lost seven players off last year’s state tournament team spring 2021. He did a good job leading our young guys. We had 80 percent of our team that were freshmen and sophomores and he did a great job keeping their heads up and staying positive when most of them were kind of learning on the job.”

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