Sermon Service & Electric Athlete of the Week- Kadyn Hench April 23, 2026

RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) - When Rigby baseball needed Kadyn Hench, he delivered at both the plate and the mound. On Monday, he pitched 6 innings against Bonneville giving up just 3 hits and no runs. The next day, he blasted a three run homerun in a 10-3 win over Skyline. Kadyn had the Trojans back when they called his number. That's what family does.

That is the slogan for this year's team: FAMILY. It is an acronym for Forget About Me, I Love You. "There's no one excluded from our team. It's just basically a family," says Hench.

For him, baseball has been about family from the start as he watched his older brother play the game. "I just basically took after that. Ever since, I've been playing since I was four."

He's come a long way since then. His coach Sam Phillips has seen his growth this season. "This is a game of failures, " Phillips begins. "Early on this season he started really good on the mound and hitting. Then mid season he kind of ran into some trouble and experienced some failures. Mentally he never backed down. He worked his butt off in practice, so he mentally got stronger."

Hench also recognized the improvement. "My confidence got better. I was working on myself, not getting mad while pitching or getting frustrated as something didn't go my way."

If things do go his way, his playing days will go beyond high school. Phillips believes Hench has the tools to do it. "Being a lefty is an advantage. Someone his size (6'5") throws the ball hard, and competes at a high level. I think teams are going to start to see that more and more." Phillips says a couple of junior colleges are looking at him.

No matter how far it goes, family will always be a part of Hench's journey. When asked about his go-to pre-game meal, his answer was simple, "whatever my mom makes, I eat."

Next up for the Trojans is the 6A District 4-5-6 tournament. Rigby goes in with an 11-1 district record and the top seed. They will play the winner of Saturday's Canyon Ridge vs Thunder Ridge game. That three-game series begins with a double-header Monday at Rigby High School.