KQ2 Sports’ sit down interview with Mustangs baseball player and Lafayette alum, Brayden Luikart

BRETT KENNEDY: "This is the last summer for you here with the Mustangs, what's the mindset going into this last ride here at Phil Welch?"

BRAYDEN LUIKART: "Just playing freely. Just letting it come one pitch at a time and just not trying to really get caught up in the results and just worried about winning."

KENNEDY: "What are you going to remember years from now about your time playing here for the Mustangs and playing in the stadium?"

LUIKART: "The bonds you create with your teammates and just how we go about our business every day. When we're playing at home, getting to show up and play in front of thousands of fans."

KENNEDY: "What would it mean to go out for a record-setting 11th MINK League championship in your final year here?"

LUIKART: "It would mean the world, you come here to win a championship, anything short of that you kind of see that as a failure. Just going about it every day like you're trying to win a MINK League Championship is huge for us."

KENNEDY: "What do you think of the roster this year? Every team's a little bit different as you've come to learn during your time here, what do you think of this roster? A lot of new guys!"

LUIKART: "We're a lot younger, a lot of new guys, but we've had some guys step up and we're looking for more to step up throughout the summer. But just taking it one game at a time and just remaining confident in what we have."

KENNEDY: "You're currently in the top three in the mink league with a .463 batting average. What's made things work so well for you at the plate so far this summer?"

LUIKART: "I would say it's a confidence thing. Playing freely like I said, just hunting pitches that I want to hit early. It's been a big thing. I've been passive in the past and so just knowing what I want to get up there and then if I get it, going at it and swinging at it."

KENNEDY: "You also had a good season down in Joplin from Missouri Southern, obviously getting the Gold Glove there. What does that mean to you and kind of talk about your season there?"

LUIKART: "It's a credit to kind of what we do as a team day in and day out and kind of how we go about our business down there. We take defense very seriously. Every day we put in the work to have people win Gold Gloves and so just having that honor is huge. It's just a credit to the work I put in and the work we put in down there as a team."

KENNEDY: "What are you going to remember the most about your time down there in Joplin?"

LUIKART: "Anytime you get to play on a baseball team and you're a part of a team, it's special. So just having that team camaraderie and that team atmosphere showing up to the locker room every day. You spend more time there than you do anywhere else and I know if you're playing in college baseball, you kind of understand that. Just those relationships we built in the locker room and just the lifelong friendships that went with it."

KENNEDY: "The Fourth of July game is right around the corner for you guys. Always a big game for the Mustangs. What makes it special about playing on the 4th of July and what makes it special just the way Saint Joe like hypes up and does these games?"

LUIKART: "It kind of brings that America's pastime feel to the game. It's very American and it just feels like there's a bigger meaning on 4th of July. I know that everyone here, you kind of don't know what to expect for the new guys for like the Fourth of July weekend. But it's by far the best weekend and it's the games you want to play in and it's a fun time."

"Kind of rough patch for you guys on the Mustangs right now. You're around .500 record-wise. What's the message to the team? You're one of the veterans on this roster. What's the message to the younger guys? Because there's still a lot of season to be played here."

LUIKART: "We're just taking it one game at a time. We know we're not off to the start we usually have here in St. Joe. Just taking it one game at a time. We kind of got a lot of learning to do and kind of got to look ourselves in the mirror a little bit. Just take this kind of first half on the chin and then just regroup for the second half."