Naperville Central junior Troy Kashul was introduced to sports in a way most kids can only dream about.
His father, Steve Kashul, is an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster best known for his long career working on Chicago Bulls games, beginning during the Michael Jordan-led championship dynasty of the 1990s.
Although Troy Kashul, who was born in 2007, was not around to witness that era, he did have an enviable proximity to professional athletes.
“I got to hang around some of the guys with him,” Kashul said. “There was a clinic for the kids of all the staff, and we’d shoot and do competitive stuff.”
As a young boy, Kashul met Bulls players like Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, along with former greats Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.
“I met Ed Farmer a few times at Sox games, and we’d get to watch the Sox take BP,” Kashul said. “(My dad) had access to that stuff, and it really helped me drive my passion.”
Kashul is beginning to make a name for himself in sports too. He is a starting defensive lineman on Naperville Central’s football team, which advanced to the second round of the Class 8A playoffs in November, and he plays the corner infield positions and pitches for the baseball team.
“Troy is a big, strong kid,” Naperville Central baseball coach Mike Stock said. “He’s a great competitor. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. He’s going to try to win everything he does.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Kashul is already seeing success. Through Sunday, he was batting .397 with two home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs in 58 at-bats, and he’s one of three starting pitchers the Redhawks (8-8, 5-4) use in DuPage Valley Conference games. Kashul had a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA in four starts. He had walked 11 and struck out 29 in 23 1/3 innings.
“We knew Troy would be in the middle of the things we did,” Stock said. “But did I know he would take over the third spot in the batting order and do it as well as he’s been doing? No. He’s exceeded what I had planned for him. I’m really pleased for him and for us.”
So is Kashul.
“It’s been a fun year,” he said. “The coaches are great. We’re one step away from being a really good team.”
Kashul has emerged as a leader, and not only because of his physical gifts.
“He’s someone who really sets the tone for the team,” Stock said. “We ask the guys to work hard and to care, and he hits all those boxes.
“He’s our best hitter and one of the best pitchers. He attacks both, but he keeps things simple.”
How so?
“He’s very good at being in the moment,” Stock said. “He doesn’t have bad days. A bad swing does not mean a bad at-bat for him. He’s had some bad at-bats, but he can turn it around on the next pitch.”
Kashul enjoys every pitch.
“Going out in the field every day, you know you’re going to get at-bats and you’re going to have fun,” he said. “At the end of the day, whether you do good or bad, there’s nothing better than a hot day in May where you’re out there having fun with your friends and beating good teams.”
Kashul’s father played baseball and basketball at Maine South but not football.
“Two of my mom’s brothers were football players here at Naperville Central,” Kashul said. “That’s kind of where I get it, and my dad wanted me to be a football player, so I started playing in kindergarten, and I kind of fell in love with that.”
Kashul has the ability to play either sport in college, but that’s a focus for another day.
“He’s not worried about the future,” Stock said. “He’s all about the now and succeeding.
“He’s a great teammate. That’s the type of kid we want representing our program. He can be good at anything he does.”
That doesn’t mean Kashul will follow in the footsteps of his father, who is the public address announcer for the baseball team. For instance, Kashul is a Sox fan in a family dominated by Cubs fans, and he’s thinking about going into business or finance, not broadcasting.
“I’m taking accounting and finance classes in school, and I really like it,” Kashul said. “Math is probably my favorite subject. It comes to me.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
