The 2017 North Jersey Suburban Baseball League third and fourth grade rec championship was a David versus Goliath matchup, Selden Kolkebeck said.

The Cincinnati Reds consisted mainly of third graders from Harrington Park, New Jersey, while their opposition’s roster was stacked full of fourth graders from the neighboring Old Tappan.

Yet, against all odds, the Reds kept the game close early on due to Kolkebeck’s dominant pitching performance. Then, in the fourth inning of the six inning championship game, one of Kolkebeck’s teammates hit his first career home run to finally give the underdog Reds the lead.

Kolkebeck took a moment to celebrate his teammate’s success, but he wasn’t satisfied.

“Honestly, I started to get a little bit mad,” he said. “He had hit his first home run, but I still didn’t have mine. He was beating me. It was the championship game and I was worried about this kid beating me. It was always a competition.”

After striking out two batters and inducing a deep flyout, Kolkebeck stepped to the plate in the next inning determined to respond.

And he wouldn’t be denied. 

Kolkebeck blasted his first ever home run on his next plate appearance and helped close out the championship upset.

“I watch the video of the home run all the time,” he said. “I’m running around the bases, throwing my hands in the air, doing the airplane celebration. It’s one of my best childhood memories.”

Now, as a graduating senior at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan, Kolkebeck still brings that competitiveness every time he takes the mound. On Sunday, he threw his fifth shutout of the season to deliver the Golden Knights their first New Jersey state championship in 18 years. He helped his team win their first sectional title in 17 years, pitching a no-hitter in the semi-finals. 

Kolkebeck’s father, Scott, said his competitiveness has existed from the beginning.

“If you look at old videos of Selden as a kid, whenever we’d be on a family trip walking through the woods, he’d be pushing everyone out of the way so he’d be first,” Scott Kolkebeck said. “Since he was little, he’s always wanted to be in the moment. He wants to be in the mix with the ball in his hand.”

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After an impressive season in which the 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher and first baseman posted a 0.72 ERA with 126 strikeouts, Kolkebeck committed to Columbia University and has seen his name shoot up MLB draft boards. The 18-year-old features a five-pitch mix highlighted by a four-seam fastball that tops out at 95 mph.

But baseball isn't the only place where Kolkebeck channels his drive to win.

Beyond the diamond, Kolkebeck found another outlet in high school: bowling. He was an all-county bowler in his senior year and led his team to win a league championship.

“Bowling is a place where I can compete outside of baseball, but it’s also really relaxing for me,” Kolkebeck said. “It’s similar to baseball in that, when you’re on the mound, it’s just you and the catcher; when you’re bowling, it’s just you and the pins. Both sports are all about accuracy and have sharpened my tools and my mindset.”

But while bowling provided another outlet for competition, Kolkebeck said his biggest gains have come through a different pursuit.

They’ve come in the weight room.

“After an injury my sophomore year, I really didn’t pick up a weight until coming to VeloU this September,” Kolkebeck said. “Now, after going to their gym at least four times a week throughout the fall and winter, my bench press and squat numbers have shot up.”

His mother, Ann, said seeing the vastly improved numbers made the dream of playing professionally feel attainable.

“When he hit 90 miles per hour in his junior year, we all sat down and agreed that this could actually be something,” Ann Kolkebeck said. “We said that it’s been really fun, but now you have to put in the work. If this is something you want, you’re going to have to work to go get it. And I think he has.”

Almost a year later and five miles per hour faster, Kolkebeck said that, with consistent training, his goal is to throw 100 miles per hour. He said he plans to train at VeloU at least six days a week this summer in preparation for the MLB draft in July.

Nearly a decade after racing around the bases with his arms stretched out like an airplane, Kolkebeck is still chasing the same feeling. From the rec league championships to state titles and dreams of throwing in the triple digits, the joy of competing has never left him.

“I just love playing baseball; it’s been that way forever,” he said. “In many ways, the mound feels like my home. When I’m out there, I can just do my thing and enjoy the moment. It’s one-on-one, me versus the batter, and I know I’ve trained hard enough to get the hitter out.”

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