Torin Montgomery brandishes a powerful bat.
The Lake Washington High junior slugger was hitting .467 at press time with three homers and 13 RBIs. Last Friday, the 6-foot-4 first baseman slammed a four-bagger in the Kangs’ 9-6 victory over Redmond to help raise his team’s league record to 3-1.
Like actor and former LW student Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays Negan on “The Walking Dead,” Montgomery also has a name for his bat (not of the barbed-wire sort like Morgan’s “Lucille,” though).
“I call my baseball bat ‘Mjolnir,’ which is the name of Thor’s hammer because I think that I’m the only one who can wield my tool,” Montgomery said with a smile. The Kang has watched six seasons of the “The Walking Dead” and was surprised to find out that Morgan attended LW, where he played football and basketball in the mid-1980s.
Montgomery, who sports a .984 fielding percentage, moved to Kirkland with his family from Hamden, Connecticut, three years ago and feels that Kang baseball is a perfect fit for him.
“I actually emailed coach Derek Bingham, letting him know that I wanted to be in his program. He welcomed me in and it’s just been fun, getting to play with a great group of guys,” said Montgomery, adding that team chemistry is at a premium this season and the team is working hard to handle anything that comes its way.
The Reporter asked Montgomery a series of questions for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life.
Reporter: What’s your favorite restaurant in Kirkland?
TM: After games, I like going to The Wing Dome with my guys, especially Oliver Laufman. It’s solid.
Reporter: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
TM: People who chew loudly. Especially in the dugout, they’re munching on gum and seeds and all that.
Reporter: What’s your dream vacation spot?
TM: I wanna go to South America. I think that would be fun to enjoy the culture there and see everything that’s going on in a different part of the world.
Reporter: What’s something unique about you that people don’t know about you?
TM: I’m really good at catching things in my mouth. Goldfish (the snack), anything. Ping pong balls… plenty of times.
Reporter: What’s your favorite hobby?
TM: I play the trumpet. I played it for five years. I used to play it through my middle school, but I still have it, so I still play it for fun sometimes.
Reporter: Who was your idol growing up?
TM: It had to be Derek Jeter. Living on the East Coast and being a die-hard Yankees fan, with my dad ever since I was born. Derek Jeter, just watching his style of play was a great thing to see. And watching him finish out his great career.
