‘He’s just a talented kid’

A hole in the wall calls for putty.

A hole in the field calls for Cruz Bruner.

Bruner, a senior at Lakeland High School, has been a staple of the Lakeland baseball team since his freshman year.

“He wanted to prove himself right away – that’s where he really started,” said Lakeland High baseball coach Jason Bradbury. “It was a little scary that he would do so well (at that level). He did everything just right.”

Bradbury brought Bruner up to train him as a catcher after the team’s starting catcher turned out to be academically ineligible at semester.

Then, after catching for three years, Bruner filled another hole, this time at third base.

“He’s just a talented kid,” Bradbury said. “It’s a coach’s dream to be able to fill a hole when he needs to.”

But Bruner said making the move was no sweat.

“Third base is just like catching – it’s a high-pressure position,” Bruner said. “The ball is coming at you fast. It just came natural.”

Every position seems to come naturally to Bruner, who also has the arm for outfield, the power for pitching and the flair to play the field in football. While Bruner spent most of his gridiron time at linebacker, he also made appearances as a receiver and a running back and even threw a few passes as a quarterback.

Despite Bruner’s strengths on both fields, his baseball team has struggled this season, going 0-14 until April 26 when Lakeland tripped up Timberlake with a 7-1 win.

“We’re having a little trouble putting all the links together,” Bruner said. “Of course, your senior year, you wish you could have been better. But I just enjoy being out there with my friends playing ball.”

Another obstacle for the team has been making the transition from a 3A to a 4A school. The change started during Bruner’s sophomore year, and despite some stumbling with his team, the move has made him a stronger player, Bruner said.

“I love a challenge,” he said. “I think I wouldn’t be as good a ballplayer if we hadn’t moved up. Competition makes you want to be better, play harder.”

Bruner has one more shift ahead of him – jumping from high school to college ball. He plans to play baseball at Division III Phoenix College but is making a trip to Arizona to strut his stuff in front of 13 coaches who head up teams in the Arizona Athletic Conference.

He will graduate this year, but Bruner is not completely zoned in on the future. He is interested in helping his team and building the generations to come.

“This year, I’m seeing him more as a teacher working with the JV kids,” Bradbury said. “He’ll go over and help them with things he’s seen me coach and teach. … He’ll just take someone under his wing.”

Bruner’s response to his good deeds: “It feels like the right thing to do.”

While Bruner loves lending a hand to his younger teammates, he also is soaking up his last year of playing ball with old friends. Most of the boys on the team have played together since Little League, Bruner said.

Turning an onside kick into a touchdown and adding to Lakeland’s 35-21 homecoming victory over Post Falls High School takes second place in Bruner’s list of standout moments.

His friends always take first.

“These are things I’ll cherish my whole life – just chillin’ with my friends and being able to play ball,” Bruner said.