Johnie Logue
Sports Reporter
Elias Huber, the 16-year old son of Bernhard and Catherine Alberti Huber from Gauting, Germany, traveled to America to attend Cole Camp High School this past semester. The foreign exchange student was the house guest of Jason and Melissa Stone of Cole Camp since January of this year.
Huber had been to America twice before and became a big fan of the San Diego Padres.
The Stone family saw his name on the website and that he wanted to come to America and play baseball. They made the whole process happen through International Student Exchange for the good spirited 5'10", 160 lb. athlete.
This was their fourth such student as they have had one from Spain, one from Turkey and now two from Germany.
Huber played on the German national team but said baseball is not that popular in Germany.
"If you wanted to play, then you probably made the team," he said.
While he is leaving for home at the end of this month, he is planning on coming back on July 24 to play in a tournament in St. Louis, MO.
"We took him to a couple of KC Royals game and they lost both times," Melissa said.
Elias comes from a city about the size of Sedalia. Asked about the differences here, he replied, "The food is better here. I love the hamburgers. Also here, everyone drives. In Germany, I ride a bike and we take trains."
Huber, who made All- Conference, batted third all season and pitched in some key spots during the season for the Bluebirds. He also played shortstop and third base. His fastball, slider and curve baffled hitters for most of the season.
"I loved the pressure situations," he said.
His host mother, Melissa said, "We didn't know how good he was but that he just wanted to play baseball."
Elias had an average of .337, OBP .453, 25 hits, and a team leading 25 RBI's. Elias was the Bluebirds' closer and was put into many tough situations and did very well; 16 innings pitched, 2 for 2 on saves, 40 K's, 11 BB, with opponents only hitting .197 against him. He averaged 2.5 strikeouts per inning pitched which is quite impressive. In the field, Elias had 52 total chances with only 3 errors.
His Coaches, Brendon and Todd Rusk had nothing but praise for their player from across the ocean." You couldn't find a better kid,"Todd Rusk said.
Head Coach Brendan Rusk commented, "Elias is a great kid with a great baseball IQ. As he got comfortable being here, he fit in very well with the team and the kids brought him in and made sure he felt welcome, which I am very proud of my boys for. Elias worked hard when he got here and it was apparent he was very knowledgeable about the game and had a passion for it. Elias helped us tremendously in the field, on the mound and at the plate. He also immediately took a leadership role as he communicated very well on the field and was like another coach out there because of his knowledge."
Melissa said, "My favorite game was our alumni game as my son (Austin Bunch), who graduated last year, played against Elias. It was great watching them both play in the same game. It was Elias' first game ever in America."
Melissa, whose face lights up when speaking of Elias, went on to say, "He is very well mannered and fit in well with our family."
Huber was born in Munich, Germany, as was his father. Elias fell in love with his American family and new friends.
"I liked the school here because Germany doesn't offer sports or outside clubs and activities .In Germany, we stay in one classroom and our teachers come to us. School there is boring compared to Cole Camp."
His biggest regret is losing the district game to Warsaw. His favorite memory is Ethan Shearer hitting the winning, last second shot to make the final eight in basketball.
He added, "Cole Camp winning state in golf was also amazing."
Summing up his experience with Elias, Coach Rusk added, "Elias fit in very well, taught everyone at least something about baseball, and he will be truly missed as a young man and a baseball player."
His future plans are to graduate high school in Germany and come back here to college in America and play baseball.
He is good at math and said he might end up being an architect.
Whatever, he chooses or wherever he goes, he will be remembered by the folks at Cole Camp for years to come.
