Hooft looking forward to trip to Boise

Joey Hooft is going to feel at home on the road, this upcoming series against Boise.

The Spokane Indians third baseman grew up in Boise from ages 4 to 10 after his family moved there from Illinois.

He is looking forward to playing in his first game at Memorial Stadium, where he watched many Boise Hawks games as a youth, today when the Indians and the Hawks begin a three-game series as the six-game, home-and-home series switches venues.

“It was always a lot of fun,” said Hooft of his memories of Hawks games. “I just loved going out there and watching guys play out there, hopefully thinking that some day I would be there. Little did I know that I would get to play in that same ball park, which is pretty neat.”

Hooft, a 20th-round selection by the Texas Rangers in this year’s draft, is also excited about a potential mini-family reunion that could take place.

“Some people on my dad’s side of the family are driving in from Reno, so they’ll be at the games,” he said. “And my dad and my stepmother live there still, so I’ll get to spend a little time with them.”

Hooft’s plans were to drive down to Boise with his dad, who saw his son play with the Indians for the first time on Sunday, following Tuesday’s game against the Hawks. The rest of the Indians will join him today as they depart from Spokane at 5 a.m.

–Jaime Cárdenas