A junior at Bonners Ferry High School, Seth Bateman is a three-sport athlete, playing soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring.
The son of Cal and Melissa Bateman and brother to five siblings, Seth said he enjoys engaging in competition and being part of a really fun group of kids.
Seth received All-League honors in baseball his sophomore year and All-League honors in basketball this year. When asked what he enjoys doing in his spare time, Seth responded, “I enjoy playing sports, eating cereal, celebratory backflips and doing bat tricks with the team.”
When he graduates from Bonners Ferry High School in 2019, Seth plans to attend BYU - Idaho but will first serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
“If an opportunity arises to play a sport in college, I would certainly consider it,” said Seth, adding that he enjoys learning about the many career options available and hopes to have an idea of the path he would like to pursue when he graduates next year.
Seth said one of his biggest challenges was when he began to play soccer his sophomore year. “I had never touched a soccer ball in my life before my sophomore year,” said Seth. “With the help and support of my coaches, teammates and lucky cleats, I managed to make some progress and contribute to the success of our soccer program.”
There have been many memorable moments while playing sports, and Seth counts others’ individual victories among them—in particular, his brother Brady’s walk-off double in the Idaho State Little League championship game to win state and send Seth, Brady and the team to Western Regionals in California. He also counts his friend Chris Sabin’s buzzer beater to send the game into overtime against Kellogg this year as something that will stick with him forever. As for the most memorable play for Seth, “[It was] blocking my first penalty kick against Timberlake,” he said.
With many great moments, there are bound to be disappointments as well. But Seth is not one to let that get him down; a lesson he has learned from being an athlete. “Despite the result of the game, you only fail when you don’t give 100 percent,” said Seth.