Testimonial Tuesday: Koen Moreno

Date: February 19, 2019
By: Eric Leary

Competitors love to compete. They are fueled by an urge to raise their game to its highest level to show they can be counted as among the best. Winning is a big deal, but competing is even a bigger deal to the true competitor. Koen Moreno is a competitor. The 2020 right handed pitcher out of Panther Creek High School in Wake County has some experience competing on the baseball field. But he also continues to be driven to compete in a number of other ways.

Having been a member of the Dirtbags organization since the age of 13, Koen has stepped on the field in a variety of roles with one common trait – his work ethic to allow him to compete at a high level.

Dirtbags GM Trey Daly remembers, “Koen started out being a catcher, then moved to infield and outfield before eventually landing scholarship offers on the mound. The saying learn more than one position has paid dividends.”

And the multiplicity of having so many gloves in his bags doesn’t seem to bother Moreno, who takes his workmanlike approach to other sports in the winter. He plays guard for Panther Creek basketball team in the winter, and also runs the 300m, plus the 4×200 and 4×400 relay for the Catamounts in winter track. (For those that don’t know, the 4×400 relay the is a “man’s race”).

All the competing and participating in multiple sports fits Koen perfectly. He loves to interact with so many different groups of people. But rest assured, he’s not just out there casually bouncing the ball or loafing on the track.  Just like while he’s on the mound, he’s trying to beat the other team; to win the moment.

This competitive mentality to go with a fastball in the low 90’s certainly got the attention of college baseball coaches. The right-hander says the Dirtbags played a major role in getting him on those college program radars. He recalled a visit by Trey Daly his freshman year and soon Koen was speaking to D1 coaches and attending camps.

He added that being a part of the Dirtbags brings with it an expectation from those evaluating players at the highest levels.  Adding, “Being able to wear the Dirtbags jersey to a college camp (is big) – the name carries weight.”

Thus, Koen committed to the East Carolina Pirates in the summer of 2017. Moreno said the the staff was the key element as he feels they have created one of the top programs in the country with culture like no other. He said he immediately “fell in love with the place.”

But with some time before he matriculates to college he’s going to continue to compete with the Dirtbags another year.  Koen is excited to play on Andy Partin’s Skrap Pak squad in 2019 and expects to win a lot. The opportunities to play in planned tourneys in Florida, Georgia, and Texas are sure to be highlights for the righty. Those big tourneys seem to get the juices flowing for the competitor.

But prior to the Dirtbags in the summer, the 2019 high school season should be equally as action packed.  Moreno says that Panther Creek has 10-11 seniors that are all contributors to the cause and they expect to make a run. With his electric arm as their #1 on a solid staff, one should expect big things from the Catamounts.

Considering how he got to this point, Koen credits his work ethic and notes the Dirtbags had a hand in developing that drive.  He said coaches like Andy Partin and Trey Daly always expect 100% on the field and to never a play off. This he said helped him learn to play with a chip on his shoulder and foster a demeanor on the mound.

But attitudes are meaningless unless ability can back it up and the work to develop the ability is something that has never waivered. “Ever since Moreno stepped foot into the program he hasn’t stopped working,” says Trey Daly. This offseason has been no different. And the work off the field has been the focus.  He has trained 4-5 days a week this winter in the weight room, while doing arm and mechanics work in lessons once a week.

This attitude to compete all the time breeds success in his own execution and the expectations he has of teammates.  Moreno stated, “Playing with the Dirtbags, the players have to prove themselves – everyone has the same goals – to win.”

That shared vision of competitiveness has been a hallmark of the organization for years and with players like Koen it looks to continue. Competitors tend to come together and do what competitors do – that is strive to win or gain by defeating or establishing superiority … the definition to compete.