Many people dream of being professional athletes from the first time they grip a baseball of lace up a brand-new pair of cleats, but it is a dream that few have the skill and discipline to achieve. Koyie Hill shared those same dreams, ever since he was 4 years old. His mother shook it off as just a common trait of any typical kid’s boundless imagination. But Koyie’s dream came true. At 22, Koyie is playing catcher for the Wilmington Waves, in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, and loving every minute of it. By the end of the Waves’ last homestand, Hill was leading his club with a .338 batting average, 22 hits, and is second in runs batted in. He has been team’s most consistent hitter in the early part of this season and has provided steady defense behind the plate for Wilmington Waves pitchers. “He has been very consistent in his productivity,” Waves’ hitting instructor Tony Harris said. Hill shys from discussing the impressive statistics. “Baseball is a very humbling game. The averages, RBIs, and all that stuff are nice, but you don’t go out looking for that stuff,” Hill said. “I’m just playing for fun.” Much of his success Hill attributes to his surroundings and his teammates. He says most of the team shares his fun-loving philosophy, which makes for a great team atmosphere and chemistry. “We play for each other. We don’t play for the names on the back [of the jersey], we play for the names on the front,” Hill said.

Hill is in his second season in the Dodgers’ organization. Last season he played for the short-season class A Yakima Bears, in Washington state. Also on that team were 13 other current Waves players. In the 2000 draft, Hill was selected in the fourth round by the Dodgers. He played his college baseball at Wichita State, where he was an All-American third baseman. After the Dodgers drafted him, however, Hill became a catcher. The new position did not bother Hill in the least. He said he is willing to play any position, just so long as he gets to keep playing baseball. “I’m gonna try and get (to the majors) somehow. I don’t care how, I just wanna get there,” Hill said. “He’s a quality player, a quality person, and is really working hard,” Harris said. As a child, Hill played a wide array of sports. Besides baseball, which is his true love, he enjoyed wrestling and believes that all the years he spent wrestling have helped to fine-tune his baseball game. He credits wrestling with improving his footwork and toughness, which are necessary for playing the catcher position. Hill described himself as a “free-spirit” who couldn’t be happier. He is newly married, living in a new city, and looking forward to playing a long season in the sun. “I love the city and the team that we have…” he said. “Can’t ask for a better situation than this.”