From battling cancer to giving his all out on the baseball field, a young Waterloo man has already led an eventful life and is looking forward to continuing his exploits as both an athlete and coach.

Trey Kueper, 23, was born and raised in Waterloo and continues to call the community home.

After graduating from Waterloo High School, he began studying at Fontbonne University where he received his undergraduate degree and is currently in the process of completing his master’s degree in dietetics.

Before college, Kueper developed a big interest in athletics, finding a particularly major passion for baseball alongside his brother Ty, who plays with the Waterloo Buds of the Mon-Clair League.

“As a kid, we kind of explored several different areas of sports, and baseball was the one that primarily stuck with us as we aged and developed,” Kueper said. “I grew a huge passion for the game. My parents, my grandparents, they sacrificed countless hours to make whatever needed to happen happen in terms of baseball.”

Alongside his twin, Kueper played baseball all four years at WHS, joining the team as they went to state in 2019.

His interest in the sport continued well into college as he competed for another four years. He said being named to first team all-conference and subsequently all-tournament his junior year at Fontbonne were some of his more proud accomplishments as a college athlete, and he’s also taken on a coaching role.

He has since turned his attention to his education in the area of dietetics and nutrition as well as a newfound passion for the triathlon.

Nevertheless, baseball had a tremendous impact on Kueper over the years.

“It’s the thing that we stayed consistent with,” Kueper said. “Made some of our good friends to this day, some that are in my wedding. It was just that sport that kind of stuck with us through everything.”

Kueper spoke about how his baseball career affected who he is today, noting the leadership skills learned, the physical development the sport helped him undergo, and the general character building.

He further emphasized the impact going to state in high school had on him – notably contributing to the mindset that helped him push and improve throughout college.

“I would say going to state in high school is really what propelled both me and my twin’s baseball careers,” Kueper said. “There was no experience quite like it. And it also pushed us to work even harder and to become the best versions of ourselves and the best players that we can be at the next level.”

Baseball was hardly the only influencing factor for Kueper in his early life, however.

As he recalled, he was diagnosed with cancer when he was around 5 years old, and he pushed through treatment for his leukemia for about eight years.

Despite the immense struggle that comes from being a young child battling cancer, Kueper said he is actually somewhat grateful for the experience given how it contributed to his character and strengthened his relationships.

“It made me grow up fast, for sure,” Kueper said. “It also made me put a lot of perspective into life and everything else. Not taking things for granted. Putting things into perspective what’s hard and what’s not hard.”

His battle with and recovery from leukemia also helped him figure out what he ultimately wanted to do with his education and career.

Kueper explained that the steroids and treatment through his fight with cancer contributed to him being overweight as a child, and he met with several dieticians while in the hospital, introducing him to his current passion.

Kueper is currently capping off his master’s degree by working about 40 hours at a dietetic internship that is set to conclude in December.

Eager to stay busy and active, he also spends much of his time training for the triathlon, and he plans to continue participating in the sport as he also pursues a dietetic career.

“It kind of filled that itch I needed for competition when I got done playing college baseball,” Kueper said. “It filled that hole that I was missing, and it’s something that I’ve become super passionate about working super hard at. It’s something that I eventually also want to get into coaching in, as well as combining that with the nutritional aspect in sports nutrition that I hope to get into in the future.”

Kueper’s father, Chuck, offered high praise for both him and his twin and spoke fondly of their experience and development during their baseball careers.

“Whenever he wants something, there’s nothing that’s gonna stop him from achieving whatever he wants, and he’ll do whatever it takes to do that,” Chuck said. “His hard work and everything just pays off.”