“It was probably freshman or sophomore year in high school where I realized you know what, I’m probably a little bit better than most of the people there,” said professional baseball pitcher Jason Kershner.

Kershner was right because this former Saguaro High School pitcher got drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies after he graduated from high school back in 1995.

“I’ve gotten to the big leagues with the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays,” Kershner said. “Most of my time is with Toronto, but I made my major league debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks when I was with San Diego.”

“It was an experience I would never forget,” Kershner said. “I think before that the biggest crowd I’ve ever thrown in front of was 15, 000 people. And then to come to Arizona on the second day and be booed off the field by 49,000 is something I’ll never forget.”

“It happened so quick that I really didn’t have a chance to figure out what was going on,” Kershner said. “And so I think my family was more nervous than I was, but once I got on the field I was in my element.”

While taking a break until next season, the 30-year-old is working out with Cameron Bradford from Extreme Conditioning.Net

“As a kid you think you can play and just wake up and go and you can play,” Kershner said. “And you really can’t do that as your body starts getting older and the more wear and tear on your body.”

“It’s really a conditioning program for your energy system,” Bradford said. “Whether it’s muscular or your anaerobic sport, it’s being able to recover in a specific time.”

Kershner will train with Bradford two days a week. Some of the things they’ll work on include legs, shoulders and his core.

“The earlier that you begin to teach your body how to recruit the muscle and transfer over to your sport, the better off your going to perform down the line,” Bradford said.

Besides exercise Bradford is very big on making sure his athletes eat right.

As for Kershner, while doing whatever it takes to stay in shape for baseball, it’s his love for the game that keeps him coming back for more.

"Some of my best friends now are guys that I’ve met the last 10 or 12 years playing in different cities,” Kershner said.