CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Our sixth KRIS 6 Hooks Kid Reporter of the 2024 season, 11-year-old Natalie Cruz, sat down in the dugout with Astros' Double-A infielder J.C. Correa. Cruz is one of 13 kids selected this summer to interview and get to know a Hooks player at Whataburger Field.
Natalie Cruz: Where did your baseball journey begin?
J.C. Correa: My baseball journey began in Puerto Rico. I was born and raised there, so I started playing baseball there when I was 4.
Cruz: What do you do for fun in Corpus Christi?
Correa: I like to go to Cole Park Pier. It's like 5-10 minutes from here. I like to walk on the off day there, sit and watch the people fishing there. It's very peaceful for me.
Cruz: What advice do you have for young athletes?
Correa: Always to work hard, be disciplined, listen to your parents and also thank them for taking their time to take you to practices and games and all of that.
Cruz: What extra curricular activities did you enjoy in high school?
Correa: I was at a baseball academy, so in the mornings we would have school and then in the afternoon we would go to the field and weight room. For me it was fun. I liked school. When I went to college I had my Bachelors and everything, so for me doing homework was always fun.
Cruz: If I wanted to get hyped up for my volleyball game, which song should I add to my playlist?
Correa: Superstar You got to listen to it because you want to be a super star right? That's a good song to motivate you before the games.
Cruz: What does a typical game day look like for you?
Correa: First thing I do is stretch. I want to make sure my body is ready to go for the day. Then I do my catch routine, hitting with my hitting coach and Blue as well. Then we come here as a team. We practice and we hit on the field. We make some defense. Sometime we run the bases like today. Then we have 2 hours we do a pre-game meal.I don't like to eat a lot, so I just do a protein shake to get ready for the game.
Cruz: I eat like toast or bananas or something like that.
Cruz: What does your future in baseball look like?
Correa: For me obviously I want to be an MLB player. That's not in my control, so what I can do to play the game hard, respect my coach and my teammates. Be a good teammate and to the fans. That's what I can control.
Cruz: How do you order your Whataburger?
Correa: I get the Patty Melt or the Honey BBQ Chicken Strip sandwhich. Those are my two, but mostly it's the Patty Melt. With the spicy ketchup.
Cruz: I get the No. 8 with burger and extra patty.
Cruz: This one determines if we can be friends. Dallas Cowboys or Houston Texans?
Correa: You say Dallas Cowboys like very affirmative. I honestly don't watch a lot of football, but I can read a lot of comments that people will say that they (Cowboys) can never win a Super Bowl so I don't like the Dallas Cowboys. I'm kidding. I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan because of you now.
