ABOVE: Joseph Hackett.

FAIRMONT – Farimont Cardinals catcher Joseph Hackett once again dons the catcher’s gear as he prepares for the opening day of baseball season.

The dual-sport junior has been focusing on developing his skill set this offseason to ensure that no pitch gets by him.

“I was definitely focused on catcher,” said Hackett. “You know, being able to block and frame better. That was my main focus.”

His usual offseason time is spent working with the Becker brothers, Luke and Levi, continuing a common theme amongst Fairmont players.

“I usually go up to the Becker Barn”, said Hackett. “I hit with Luke and Levi, but this off-season,

I actually had an injury, so I wasn’t able to go up, but in the past couple of years, I have always gone up there and hit with them.”

Hackett grew up around the game of baseball, as many youngsters in Fairmont do. This allowed him to fall in love with the game over time and pursue it.

“Growing up, my brother always played,” said Hackett. “So I really looked up to him, and I just grew up playing it and loved it.”

Getting behind the plate has a unique set of challenges, such as major knee fatigue, but Hackett does not feel that is the hardest part of playing the position.

“Taking foul balls, it hurts quite a lot,” said Hackett. “Having that constant, you know, throwing it back to the pitcher can be tough on your arms sometimes, so definitely that.”

Communication is key for Hackett with whoever is on the mound. Without it, his job becomes tricky.

“Being able to communicate with the pitchers is really important,” said Hackett. “You know, if we’re not on the same page, then it really makes it hard to catch and frame. It really makes it more difficult than it has to be.”

In the box rather than behind it, Hackett is aiming for a .300 batting average this season and has a set strategy for his at-bats.

“Don’t wait for the first pitch,” said Hackett. “Attack that fastball right away. Try to drive it deep in the outfield and try and get that hit.”

Hackett has big goals for the Cardinals this season but is making sure that his mentality remains to take it one game at a time.

“Team goals would definitely be win the conference,” said Hackett. “Host a playoff game, get far in playoffs. You don’t really want to look too far at the state, and you just want to look at the next step.”

Currently at the midway point in his prep athletics career, Hackett hasn’t put to much thought into what comes next as far as what to study or where he is going, but he knows what sport he wants to play should he choose to continue participating in athletics.

“If I would go and play colleges for it,” said Hackett. “That’s going to be baseball. You know, I’ve always grown up loving baseball. I haven’t really given it much thought.”