Kyle Davidson, 2011 graduate and state champion, is thriving in the next level. Playing for Millikin University, Davidson has been a starter since he arrived, playing both middle infield and pitcher.

Last year Davidson had a productive season at Millikin, finishing fourth on the team with RBI’s with a .294 slugging percentage and a .311 on base percentage according to www. Millikin.edu. Success is nothing new to Kyle Davidson.

“Kyle was a very well rounded athlete; great football player, great wrestler, but an even better baseball player.  He played SS and pitched for us (Kaneland), so he was one of those kids that we had to have.  Kyle was a vacuum at SS and he shut people down on the mound.  As 1/7 seniors on the team, Kyle had a natural leadership role.  We never picked captains; everyone kinda just understood that what the seniors said, you did.  They were a baseball group of kids that all worked toward the same goal,” Kaneland Varsity Baseball Coach Brian Aversa said.

Off season workouts and the ability to love the game are essential for successful seasons such as the one Davidson had.

“Every year I set goals for the upcoming season. This year, a few of my goals are making the CCIW tournament and being a leader on my team. However, I know that these goals wouldn’t be reached if it weren’t for all the time and commitment I put into this game. This offseason we have been lifting a lot as well as hitting and playing catch on our own. I’m just doing everything I can to be successful,” Davidson said.

With every decision made, comes the potential of positives and negatives. Deciding to play college ball was no mistake according to Davidson.

“Some of the positives would be meeting a whole new team and going out and making a name for yourself.  There are no negatives when it comes to baseball. I would highly recommend playing college baseball. As for my baseball career, I would like to take it to the next level. It’s hard to think of life without baseball,” Davidson said.

When forced to think about what he misses most about his high school team, there was no doubt in Davidson’s mind what the answer would be.

“[I miss] my old teammates. Most of us played for the same travel team growing up and we played together all through high school. That year we won state, that was a special year,” Davidson said.

That year was in fact a special year for not only Kyle, but for the entire Kaneland community, including all of the young men who were part of the State Championship team. A team that consisted around core players of Kyle Davidson, Brian Dixon, Blake Serpa, Sam Komel, Bobby Thorson, Drew French and many others. This group of players created memories that never will be forgotten.

“My favorite memory of that year was throwing the last pitch and being on the bottom of the dog pile, even though I couldn’t breathe. It was one of the best moments of my life,” Davidson said.

After the State Championship season, Kyle joined an all new team, with different players and coaches. Last year at Millikin, Kyle was joined by an old teammate and friend, Brian Dixon. Brian and Kyle were just a few of the players who moved on to play at the college level.

Brian and Kyle were always held at high standards for their play at KHS.

“Kyle is a ferocious competitor and he was always the glue that kept everything together.  He was a tremendous defensive player and he and Brian Dixon were the best I’ve ever seen at turning double plays.  The double play is what kept us in many games and fittingly enough, the last two outs were on  a double play to end the State Championship game,” Aversa said.

Kyle learned his skills through help from his coaches at Kaneland.

“I am a big fan of coach Aversa and Smeds. I think they are great coaches. I believe they can keep the baseball program a winning program. You can just look and see how successful the program is just based on all the kids who made it past high school ball,” Davidson said.

Every year, kids come and go, each with the dream of making it to the next level and playing the game they love. No matter what talent level an athlete is at, improvement can always be made.

“Try to really be a student of the game.

Pay attention to details and the little things of the game. It makes a big difference when you start playing college,” Davidson said.