Andrean senior catcher Blake Kouder will not accept defeat.

Kouder’s opponent is a pain in his back that has lingered for more than a year, but he has no intention of letting that discomfort keep him away from the baseball field.

“I couldn’t let the injury win,” he said. “My parents have done a lot for me, especially with baseball, so I feel like it’s my duty to push through and play for them. I couldn’t give up this game because of an injury.”

So Kouder is back in his usual place for Northwest Crossroads Conference leader and top-ranked Andrean (11-1, 4-0), setting up behind the plate for a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to the 2024 season. He’s also the leadoff hitter, batting .314 with six stolen bases, six walks and just two strikeouts.

Andrean coach Dave Pishkur noted Kouder has a .667 average according to the team’s “quality at-bat” statistic, indicative of his consistent approach at the plate. But Pishkur said Kouder’s impact goes much further than numbers can suggest.

“He is, without a doubt, the heart and soul of our team this year,” Pishkur said. “He’s one of a kind — a coach’s dream.”

Kouder’s perseverance is one of the traits that defines him. He suffered his back injury during a five-game trip in Tennessee in the first week of April 2024. He said he “pulled something” and was later told he has two bulging discs in his back and was experiencing muscle tightness near those discs as well.Even after numerous medical visits, Kouder hasn’t been able to put the pain behind him.

“I’ve gone to, like, 10 different doctors and six different physical therapists,” he said. “I just get it to a point where I can play and push through the pain.”

Kouder’s wide range of treatments have included acupuncture, which he said did not help, and myofascial massage therapy, which he said did help. He has also been taking ice baths the night before games this season and reported positive results from that method as well.

Kouder said he’s determined to make the most of the opportunity that his parents, Chuck and Krystal, have afforded him.

“They’ve made a lot of sacrifices to allow me to play, and they’ve never complained,” he said. “They just said that they wanted me to have fun doing what I love.”

Kouder’s intangibles have been obvious to the 59ers since he was a freshman. Pishkur said the upperclassmen on the 2022 Class 3A state championship team requested that Kouder be included on the postseason roster.

“They all said that they want Blake there because he’s such a team player and such a vocal leader,” Pishkur said. “Even though he was a freshman, they wanted him to be a part of it. He has a lot of attributes that you can’t coach up because they come from within.”

Between his pain treatments, Kouder has been working on his quickness and accuracy behind the plate, which have helped him throw out three of six would-be base stealers this season.

Any edge that Kouder can provide could be vital in the postseason for Andrean, which is ranked No. 1 in 3A in the coaches poll. No. 2 Hanover Central beat the 59ers 22-2 in a 3A sectional final last year, and the conference rivals are in the same sectional again this season.

“Last season was an embarrassment to all of us, and none of us have been the same since walking off of that field,” Kouder said. “I know we’re going to see the same team in sectionals, and it’s going to come down to the mental game of who shows up that day.”

Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.