Ten-year-old Peyton Dunn is like a lot of kids in South Georgia. He loves being outside. He loves the woods, the water, and just about anything else that will get him out of the house and busy for a few hours. Of all the activities he enjoys, though, baseball is at the top of the list. It’s his favorite sport and he finds his greatest joy on the baseball field.
He plays for two different teams: the Cardinals in Fitzgerald’s recreation league and the Commanders, a local travel team that plays every other weekend. A first baseman, Dunn has already made a name for himself by playing exceptional defense. Most notably, he can do a split on demand and that flexibility has helped him keep would-be base runners in the dugout and runs off the scoreboard. We spent a few minutes with Dunn so he could tell us more about his love of the game and his penchant for hitting the dirt.
1. How long have you been playing baseball? I started playing ball at the age of 4.What first drew your interest to baseball? My daddy and I would watch the Braves.
2. What makes baseball fun? The competitiveness and being with my friends.
3. What is the name of your team and what circuit do you play? My travel ball team is the Commanders. We play every other weekend.
4. Do you also play in a local recreation league? If so, what team? My local recreational team is the Cardinals.
5. What makes you a good player? The ability to play my position, which is first base. And my dedication of loving the game.
6. Playing travel ball is time consuming. How do you keep from getting burned out? We play every other weekend. When I am not playing tournaments I enjoy being at the river fishing for bass.
7. Tell me about the splits that you do. I do the splits to complete a play. If it’s a low throw, I must be able to get down low and keep my foot on the base.
8. When did you first realize you could do a split? Last year. And now it just comes natural. The first time I did the split I could hear people behind me saying, “Wow did you see that split the first baseman did?” At times I will be walking between tournaments and people always say good play by doing that split.
9. Do you play any other sports? No.
10. What else do you do besides play ball? I love fishing and hunting.
10 Questions/South Georgia/June 2015
Peyton Dunn
Fitzgerald, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Micki K Photography
