With the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the cancellation of all high school spring sports, local seniors were forced to deal with the abrupt reality that their prep careers were over. A group of these student-athletes were members of the Cincinnati Reds RBI program, and many were also regulars at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy over the years. With our Senior Spotlight Series, the Reds want to recognize these players for their efforts and wish them well in their future endeavors, both on and off the field.

When John Locher decided his baseball career would end after high school, he didn’t expect his last game to be in 2019.

Locher was preparing for his senior baseball season at Deer Park High School, ready to soak up every minute. College baseball was not in his plans, so the spring school season and Cincinnati RBI summer season were to be the end. Then word started to spread that spring sports were in jeopardy.

“I was checking the [Ohio High School Athletic Association's] press release on Twitter every day, probably along with every other high school ballplayer, just having that possibility in the back of my head,” Locher said. “It was still crushing to say the least when the cancellation actually came in writing. The hardest part of it all, as a senior, is acknowledging the fact that you played your last high school baseball game last season and walked off the field not knowing. Truly makes you appreciate every game you play more.”

Not long after, the summer league was the next casualty. Just like that, Locher was done with baseball.

The end of his baseball journey stems from a difficult choice he faced as a high schooler prioritizing his future. As he looked ahead to his collegiate options, he had the opportunity to attend the nationally ranked Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati. With aspirations to earn a degree in Finance, land a job in portfolio management and eventually get involved with personal investment work, it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. But it would mean no more baseball.

“Choosing to pursue academics over baseball was a really tough decision,” he said. “It took me a couple years to be sure of it, but when I was admitted to a formidable business program, I really evaluated my goals and plans. Although my love for the game is unmatched, it just wasn’t the right move to keep pursuing it at this point in my life.”

Much of what made the choice so tough was how much he enjoyed his time with RBI. It wasn’t until 2019 that he tried out after his friend and RBI teammate Dillon Fischer, who had joined the year before, urged him to do the same. Once Locher was a member of Reds RBI, it didn’t take him long to see why Fischer spoke so highly of the program.

“My experience at the Academy was great,” Locher said. “They are one of the few -- if not the only -- summer baseball programs that has the opportunities they provide each and every player. I think the most enjoyable part of the experience was the insightful interaction with prominent baseball figures past and present that I would not have access to if it were not for the Academy.”

Two of the players with whom Locher worked most closely were Reds Hall of Famers Eric Davis and George Foster. He recalls having a talk with Davis about hitting, specifically when Davis shared how he used to approach at-bats and how to keep his eyes in a position to always see the ball well.

Locher's favorite memory involves an interaction with Foster at RedsFest. The Big Red Machine outfielder attended some of RBI’s Tuesday offseason practices to help run drills, so all the players got to know him well.

“My family and I were walking through RedsFest, and my dad spots George Foster and points him out to me like, ‘Look! That's George Foster!’" Locher said. “Having known him pretty well, I didn’t think anything of it, and I was like, ‘Yeah, he helps out our team every week.’ My dad was kind of skeptical when I said we knew each other, but almost immediately after he expressed his doubts, Coach Foster saw me and let out a ‘HEYYY, John, come over here!’ We went on to have a conversation where he asked me why I had to leave practice early the week prior, and when I explained I had work, Coach Foster looked at me and said, ‘No, we have to make baseball your work.’ I will never forget that funny moment, and I am sure my shell-shocked dad, who grew up watching Foster, will not either.”