LebCo Athlete of the Week: Davin Kolter

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Davin Kolter

On March 30th, Davin Kolter turned in the kind of outing that showed why he has become such an important piece of Cedar Crest’s pitching staff this spring.

Against a strong Lampeter-Strasburg lineup on March 30, Kolter delivered a dominant start on the mound for the Falcons. The junior struck out 13 over 5 innings while allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk. Even in a 4-2 loss, Kolter showed how tough he can be, settling in after an early home run and not allowing another hit over the next 4 innings. That effort caught the attention of the LebCoSports.com voters and earned Kolter recognition as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

When reflecting on the outing, Kolter pointed to the perseverance it took to settle in against a strong Lampeter-Strasburg lineup. “I struggled in the first after giving up a home run, but after that I settled in and finished with 13 strikeouts,” said Kolter.

So far this season, Kolter has quickly become a valuable arm in the Cedar Crest rotation. In 3 appearances, including his outing against Lampeter-Strasburg, he has piled up 27 strikeouts in just 12 innings pitched. He has allowed just 5 hits while walking 9, good for a 2.92 ERA through his first 3 outings. His early-season success marks a significant step forward from his 6.30 ERA as a sophomore, a season which was also cut short by injury.

For Kolter, the goals for this season are both straightforward and meaningful.

“My main goals are to stay healthy the whole season to help my team and commit to a college to play baseball,” he said.

Kolter said he has also fit into Cedar Crest’s team goals by helping support the chemistry that has brought the Falcons together.

“Our goals were to have a great team chemistry with everyone getting along,” said Kolter. “Our team loves each other, and I help keep everyone’s head up. If someone is frustrated, I talk to them and make sure everyone is getting along.”

That progress has stood out to Cedar Crest head coach Matt Knox, who said Kolter continues to learn and improve with each outing.

“Davin has continued to get better,” said Knox. “Each outing he has learned more about his ability and how to push through some things. He continues to be a workhorse on the mound and attack hitters. He has made some major progress this season with strike throwing. He is attacking hitters and the best is yet to come!”

Kolter’s growth this spring is especially meaningful considering what he has battled through earlier in his high school career.  He said he suffered an ulnar nerve injury right before his freshman year and did not pitch an inning that season. Then, last year, he sustained a flexor strain toward the end of the regular season. After spending the offseason working to get healthy and avoid another setback, Kolter said he now feels like he is in a strong place physically. Much like the mental toughness he showed after giving up the home run to Lampeter-Strasburg, Kolter has used his past struggles to become a better version of himself.

When it comes to people he would like to thank, Kolter specifically mentioned Nat Ross at Full Reps Training who has helped him in his journey to become fully healthy. He also wanted to thank his current coaches at Cedar Crest for helping him continue to develop.

Baseball isn’t the only sport in which Kolter excels. He also plays golf for Cedar Crest, and this past fall helped the Falcons win the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championship and finish 6th at the State Championship Tournament.

Looking ahead, Kolter hopes to play baseball in college while studying finance. Ideally, he said, he would like to play baseball professionally, but if that path does not work out, he hopes to become a financial advisor.

When he is not training, Kolter said he enjoys spending time outdoors, walking, hanging out with friends, and being around his dogs and family. One fun fact about him is that he likes eating a lot of raw meat and eggs as part of his effort to build muscle and continue improving.

What Kolter enjoys most about sports is the shared experience that comes with competing as part of a team.

“I enjoy winning as a team the most,” said Kolter. “We celebrate together and just have a great time.”

Congratulations to Davin Kolter on earning LebCo Athlete of the Week honors, and best of luck to him as he continues chasing his goals while helping Cedar Crest build toward a successful season.

Photos provided by Cedar Crest Baseball

LebCo Female Athlete of the Week: Addison Hollenbach

Past Winners

Brett Wenger (Week of 3/23)

Adrian Gonzalez (Week of 3/9, 3/16)