What hasn’t Casey Rother done on the baseball diamond?

He is one of District 11’s elite hitters, and is a force behind the plate and on the mound.

Last season, as a junior, he hit .472 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. His strong play on the field and dedication in the classroom earned him the opportunity to sign with Lehigh University on Monday.

“They reached out to me first, and that was a big thing for me,” said Rother. “I had all my schools that I was talking to. But Lehigh kind of had its own category because it was the first one I talked to. It’s a great school and the campus is awesome.”

Tamaqua head coach Jeff Reading knew the program had something special when Rother came up into the program as a freshman.

“He came in as a freshman and we noticed that this boy had some talent,” said Reading. “He started playing for us as a freshman in the outfield to get his bat in the lineup. He took over the catching duties and has done that ever since.”

It’s not just the eye-popping statistics on paper that makes Rother a Division 1 ballplayer. He is a true leader on the field.

“We’re really looking forward to having him one last time senior year,” said Reading. “He’s our field general. He directs things as our catcher and he’s got some time on the mound for us too. We’re expecting big things out of him.”

Rother loves the game just as much; whether he’s catching, pitching, or playing the outfield.

“I love playing every position; it’s fun to play the game,” said Rother. “I’ll do anything coach says.”

Rother has benefitted from playing every possible position growing up, which has helped him grow as a player.

“The game kind of slowed down and I could see what was going to happen,” said Rother. “I kind of have intuition. It’s great.”

And he’s not done yet. Rother will help lead a Raiders’ team that gained a ton of experience and won a district title last season.

“Last year, his offensive abilities were a big part of our success,” said Reading. “I know he’s a senior and would like to go out the same way, to have a repeat of that. … He’s growing.

“That’s one thing we always stressed to him and the rest of our players ... you want to continue to get better, and he has since his freshman year.”