Hunter Reitz just wants to be healthy enough to be on the field.

It has been a major problem for the Catasauqua junior over the past two years. A rash of injuries has caused him to miss the majority of the past two baseball and football seasons, or allow him to play at his maximum ability.

The latter has affected his performance on the baseball diamond for the Rough Riders, as he has recently battled a recurring shoulder injury as well as nagging hamstring.

Reitz recalled when his hamstring pull occurred a few weeks back. At the beginning of the season, Reitz injured his shoulder.

“It was against Northern Lehigh,” said Reitz. “It was my last at-bat and I was running to first base. I felt something pulled, and it has affected my base running.

“At the start of the season, I slid hard into second base, and I popped out my shoulder. That has affected my throwing.”

So, Reitz is having trouble running and throwing. He has been functioning as the team’s designated hitter. Still, Reitz had a team–high .429 average through nine games with 12 hits and seven RBIs.

Head baseball coach Steve Bradley credited Reitz’s heroic efforts.

“He is a very good player,” said Bradley about Reitz. “He is a kid who works very hard at everything he does. If Hunter was totally healthy, he could help us at a number of positions.

“But he is doing the best he can with his shoulder and his hamstring. Most kids wouldn’t be in the lineup with his injuries. But, like I’ve said in the past, Hunter is a kid who goes 100 miles per hour at everything he does.

“That’s a great thing, but it also could be why he has been injured.”

Reitz, who suffered a broken collarbone, was basically injury-free during his early youth playing days. Despite his setbacks, he plans to keep moving forward.

“I try to get better every day,” he said. “I think I am making progress, but I just have to keep working the best I can. I’m seeing the ball well, and making contact. It’s just a matter of being able to run and throw. I think I am getting more of my mobility back.”

One of the upperclassmen on the baseball team, Reitz has seen some common threads that have resulted in the team’s 2-10 slate.

“We have a lot of inexperienced guys out there,” he said. “We’re games until the fifth or maybe sixth inning, and we can’t close them out. We had made too many errors, and we don’t have enough pitching.

It can be frustrating, but we keep battling all the way through.”

Reitz hasn’t been able to do any weight training lately, but he does have his sights already set on the football season. Injuries cut his season short early in the year last season, and he also was sidelined the majority of his sophomore season. Reitz peaked interest in his freshman year when he rushed for 412 yards on 99 carries.

Having the last two campaigns cut short, Reitz is very anxious for the fall.

“I know this is my last chance, and I want to make some noise,” he stressed. “I haven’t been able to do what I wanted to do,

“I want this to be the year that I shine.”

If he can stay healthy, Reitz certainly can provide enough light on the baseball and football fields.