Yes, in this wonderful world of sports journalism, we are supposed to remain impartial.

Play no favorites. Write it straight down the middle.

But, sometimes, you just want to root for a kid.

When it comes to baseball, I’ve silently rooted for a couple of them around here for a few years now.

Mick Fennell and Cody Herald.

They were baseball teammates for three years at Butler High School and again last year with the Butler BlueSox. They were baseball rivals the past three years in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, Fennell playing for California (Pa.) University, Herald for Seton Hill.

Herald got the game-winning hit on a pitch from Fennell in a PSAC Tournament elimination game at Kelly Automotive Park, a situation in which Herald admitted “felt weird.”

There’s nothing weird about the way these two guys play the game. They’re versatile defensively. They know the strike zone. They know baseball.

They respect the game. They’re gritty, determined, passionate and all about team.

They are easy to root for.

Consider these numbers.

Herald hit over .300 in all four of his seasons at Seton Hill. He had at least 30 RBI each season as well.

He stole 58 bases in 74 attempts.

Through four years of college ball, Herald struck out 56 times, walked 63 times and was hit by a pitch on 22 occasions.

Fennell has hit over .300 in each of his first three collegiate seasons, including .422 this year with a 20-game hitting streak. He is fourth among all active NCAA players — all divisions — with 20 career triples.

Fennell has stolen 38 bases in 47 attempts, has struck out 24 times while walking on 40 occasions. He’s been hit by a pitch 12 times.

These two guys will take one for the team. No problem.

Goodness knows how many times they’ve hurled their bodies, parallel to the ground, in an effort to snag a baseball while playing the field.

Herald is listed as the BlueSox hitting coach this summer. No surprise there.

The guy was going to stay in the game somehow, some way.

Fennell, of course, has another year of collegiate baseball at California.

There’s always a chance he’ll be selected at some point in the upcoming Major League Baseball amateur draft.

He’s played infield, outfield and done some pitching. Herald has done the same thing.

Almost any kid who has even played Little League ball has dreamed of what it’d be like to wear a big league uniform. Fennell wears that dream on his sleeve every time he takes the field.

If you’re a baseball fan, you have to love these two guys. Solid young men in terms of character, fundamentally sound and dedicated young players on the baseball field.

Root for them?

You better believe it.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle