Caleb Ricketts gets by with a little help from his team

Toreros’ catcher says people around him make baseball and life more enjoyable

Leah Stevens / Contributor

As a young boy growing up in Newport Beach, California, Caleb Ricketts knew he liked being active and a team member. Ricketts started playing sports at the age of four years old, and when he turned five, he started playing the sport he still loves today — baseball. While he is currently a sophomore and the catcher at the University of San Diego, Ricketts’ career in baseball had an unconventional start.

“I was five years old playing t-ball, and I got hit in the nose with the ball, and then I quit for four years because I was scared to play after that,” Ricketts said.

After that minor setback and a push from his parents to go back, Ricketts fell back in love with the practices, team dynamics, and the game itself. One of the most grounding factors Ricketts finds with baseball is his teammates. Waking up early for practices, having late-night games, and traveling the country with his teammates has given him some of the best friendships that he knows he will never forget.

One of his favorite memories was a pair of trips to North Carolina, when his high school team won the same tournament two years in a row. The chemistry and energy of the group is something Ricketts will never forget.

When it comes to friends or teammates, Ricketts stated “Something I really admire about someone is someone who can listen to what I’m going through and still treat and love me the same afterward. Also, someone who can make me laugh and bring happiness to my day.”

Ricketts still finds that the best part of being a part of the baseball team are his teammates and their energetic team dynamic. However, he will admit that the commitment to baseball does get overwhelming. Trying to balance his schoolwork, his social life, and his sport can get tricky from time to time.

“The hardest part about baseball is the schedule we have and time management,” Ricketts said. “It can get exhausting, especially if you don’t value the relationships with your teammates. That would make me want to stop playing because the schedule gets really tough.”

It is truly the people and relationships — both family and teammates — in Ricketts’ life that keep him motivated and energized. 

“What makes me want to keep playing baseball are the relationships I’ve made throughout the years with my teammates,” Ricketts said. “The relationships are the most important thing, but I also love the game itself.”

As far as the future, he does not know what is in store for him in baseball. Due to the pandemic’s trying times and the unpredictability of the sport, it is hard to say where he will end up. However, he does know no matter where he is, he wants to be like his dad, his greatest inspiration.

“One of the strongest influences in my life is my dad because he’s extremely disciplined and works very hard,” Ricketts said. “He’s had the same job for over 30 years, and he absolutely hates it, but it pays well, and he does it to support us which I really admire. Him getting through the week by doing stuff he doesn’t want to do so we can go to school and have a good life is really inspiring to me, and it’s something I want to do when I’m older.”

Caleb Ricketts is driven by the people in his life who inspire him, who push him to be a better player, and who can make him laugh and have a good time with him. He finds happiness and purpose in life by forming tight-knit friendships and having a strong bond with his family and his turtle, Timmy Timmy.