At the end of the day, Haden Hinkle and reward have become companions.
And that's only fitting for the Madera High pitcher/first baseman, who will receive a 40% academic scholarship to play baseball at the University of San Francisco, a private school where full freight costs $45,000.
"I'm very satisfied," said Hinkle, whose résumé included a 4.27 grade-point average and valedictorian honor.
But, for all his talent and intellect, no player in the Central Section drew more compassion last season than Hinkle.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander compiled a 1.54 ERA, yet went only 4-8 for a 10-19 team that finished 1-14 in the Tri-River Athletic Conference.
Haden Hinkle's stats were impressive: a 1.54 ERA and a .373 batting average. But he played for a Madera High team that managed just one win in TRAC competition.
Twice he two-hit section power Buchanan, only to lose 1-0 and 2-0.
Further, he hit .373, including five home runs in the TRAC, the section's premier league.
"It was a little frustrating," he said, "but you've got to work with what you've got, and that's what we had."
This contrasted greatly with two years earlier, when, as a 15-year-old sophomore, he was named co-Player of the Year in the TRAC, whose title the 20-10 Coyotes shared with Clovis.
But it was off that team that Madera lost such standouts as Brandon Henderson, Anthony Martinez and Paul Anaya, in addition to coach Kevin Patrick, who was lured away by Clovis West.
Patrick was replaced by veteran George McWherter, no stranger to section championships at Yosemite.
While Hinkle plowed ahead, the magic had been lost at Madera, which recently replaced McWherter with Jason Murrietta, who assisted Patrick in 2007.
Hinkle, meanwhile, contemplated his options, which were surprisingly few regarding a college baseball career.
Coach Nino Giarratano and San Francisco of the West Coast Conference had an offer on the table all along.
"They never stopped calling me," Hinkle said.
But there were no others until this summer, when UNLV expressed an interest and, finally, Hinkle received a call from Fresno State.
But it was too late.
"I had already committed to San Francisco," Hinkle said. "I really felt wanted, and I'll have a great chance to play."
Patrick can't explain why Hinkle wasn't in greater demand, but he does say: "I've seen a lot of guys go on to the next level who weren't as nearly as polished as Haden. That said, he has a bright future with plenty of room to grow."
Hinkle said he expects to concentrate on pitching initially, but should also eventually get a shot at first base for the Dons, who went 28-18 and tied for third in the WCC with Pepperdine at 12-9 behind nationally ranked Gonzaga and Loyola-Marymount.
San Diego and Saint Mary's complete the field in the WCC, which had not one team with a losing overall record and whose national reputation has soared in the past 10 years.
Hinkle said he plans on majoring in physics with the objective of being an engineer.
And there's one more goal: "I'm always going to hype the Valley because this area is underrecruited. I'll send guys up there for sure."
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