At his core, Royce Lewis is a baseball player. And his love for the game is as deep as the years he’s been on the diamond, which is nearly his entire life.
“I’ve loved it since day one,” says Lewis, who got his start at the age of two. “That’s my life, baseball. I’ll play it until the day I die.”
The versatile JSerra Catholic High School senior slots in at third base, shortstop or center field for the Lions, and is doing his best to leave an indelible mark on the program.
As a junior, the 17-year-old helped bring a third consecutive Trinity League Championship to JSerra, and he hopes to make it a fourth next spring. His efforts earned Lewis the 2016 Trinity League MVP for the second year in a row, in addition to being named the 2016 L.A. Times Southern California High School Baseball Player of the Year and the 2016 Cal-Hi Sports Junior Player of the Year.
But Lewis’ offseason has been even more impressive with an appearance in the 2016 Under Armour All-American Game held at Wrigley Field in Chicago in July where he had a home run and was named the American team MVP. Lewis also participated in the 2016 Perfect Game All-American Classic held at Petco Park in San Diego in August, where he again garnered MVP honors. Additionally, Lewis represented his country in a tournament held this fall on the 20-member USA Baseball 18U National Team.
Lewis is not only is committed to representing his school on the baseball field, but is also a member of Caritas Christi, an organization on campus that recognizes students who excel in the areas of leadership, service, academics and character. JSerra varsity head baseball coach, Brett Kay, knows that Lewis is the real deal.
“As good of a baseball player as he is, Royce is even a better kid,” says Kay. “He’s humble, and he’s the type of kid who’s going to do whatever is best for the team. He makes the game so much more fun, and he truly enjoys it every single day. When it’s all said and done, he’s going to be one of the best athletes we’ve ever seen on the JSerra campus.”
Lewis is committed to continuing his baseball career at UC Irvine, but it’s highly possible he could make his way into the 2017 MLB Draft next June, something “that would be a dream” for the Aliso Viejo resident.
Fueled by his faith and following in the footsteps of his biggest role models that include his parents and his favorite MLB player, Derek Jeter, Lewis and his love for America’s pastime have an exciting road ahead.
“Don’t stop; never quit,” says Lewis of his lessons learned from the game. “They’re going to push you down. You’ve just got to get back up and keep going.”