On Thursday, April 18, 2013, Upper Moreland senior Robert Knox was recognized for signing a letter of intent to play baseball at West Chester University.
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Robert Knox – West Chester University (Baseball)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: West Chester, East Stroudsburg
Reasons for choosing West Chester: “I actually went up there on a football visit, and I just really liked the school. A couple of my friends are going there, and I just thought it would be a good fit baseball-wise. Socially and academically, I thought everything worked.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “For most of my life, I kind of was set on football until about eighth grade. Mr. Irwin, the assistant coach here – he just turned me. I started playing for him, and he helped me a lot with my baseball progression. I just thought that my best chance was in baseball.”
Coach Ernie Rehr says: “Robert is one of the guys that we built the program on. He’s been with me almost every year I’ve been coach. It’s certainly no coincidence the success we’ve had and the fact that he’s been a four-year varsity starter. That’s a testament to him and his capabilities, athleticism and competitive edge. The team feeds off of him and has for a while. Even last year – even though he wasn’t a senior, the team certainly fed off of him.
“The pros call it five tool. He has the plus arm, he’s got the speed, and he definitely has the bat. He’s got the mental edge as well which adds a nice dynamic. His approach to the game – that competitiveness – is certainly superior to most kids. He wants to win more than anything else. He wants to be the guy in the spot. He does not succumb to pressure, and you can’t teach that. That’s certainly going to be missed. I’m going to enjoy the last bit of this year, watching him compete and not get affected by the pressure.”
Assistant coach Ken Irwin says: “I saw Robert play when he was 12 years old. He was playing a couple of innings in right field, and he wasn’t necessarily one of the better players at that age group that he was with, and it was because it was a talented group. He just had natural abilities that I wasn’t sure he knew he had because of his ability to play football, his ability to play basketball. Everything just kind of came easy for him. Luckily and fortunately for myself and our coaching staff on our summer team, he was able at 13 to come play for us. He has natural ability – he’s a special person, he’s a special talent, but he’s not necessarily a rah, rah type of guy. He just goes out and performs and just raises the bar for everyone else on the team. He’s got that swag, that it's about him that rubs off on everyone else. He’s looked up to by a lot of players. They’ll never say it to each other, but for a lot of these young players, it’s a great thing that they had the opportunity to play with him not only in football but baseball as well. His future in the right program could be even greater. When he came here, he got a chance as a ninth grader which I think made him realize he had the ability to play baseball whereas I think he thought football was his world. Then coach Rehr gave him a chance in ninth grade, and it just changed everything for him.”
About Robert:
About food: Hot wings
Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings
Favorite music: Country
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