Suffolk Christian Academy’s baseball team was playing host Williamsburg Christian Academy on April 24 and was in need of a spark plug on offense.

Trey Small answered the call.

“He really hit the ball well that game,” Knights coach Tommy Moose said. “We struggled pretty much as a team, hitting, and Trey seemed to be clicking on all cylinders.”

The performance helped him become the Duke Automotive-Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week.

Small went 4-for-4, hitting two doubles, to help Suffolk Christian return home with an 11-0 victory.

“I felt pretty good as far as how I hit the ball,” he said.

His play in this game was not an isolated incident but has been part of a trend to which Moose drew attention. He cited the junior ballplayer’s combined statistics from the WCA game and the two games leading up to it: 6-for-9 with three doubles and five runs batted in.

“He’s really starting to contribute, offensively,” the coach said, noting Small struggled a bit during the middle part of the season.

Small, currently in his first season playing for Suffolk Christian, is a home school student who lives in Gates County, N.C., where he has gained most of his baseball experience.

“He probably started playing when he was 4 years old,” in the Gates County Babe Ruth League, said his father, Chuck Small.

He was destined to have the opportunity to be involved with sports since his parents, Chuck and Renée Small, were both involved in them when they were growing up.

“It’s been a big part of our lives coming up, so (with) kids coming along, it just seemed natural,” Chuck Small said.

Trey Small, now 17, played in the Babe Ruth League until he was about 13. He has since competed in the Eason’s Crossroads Ballpark Leagues. He also has been able to participate in the fall ball league of a school near where he lives.

Those experiences have helped put him in a position to play well for Suffolk Christian.

“I think he’s been a consistent contributor, both in the field and at the plate,” his father said.

Small typically plays third base, but he’s “been pretty solid in the outfield” too, Moose said.

Though baseball is his clear favorite, Small also has some experience in other sports.

“I’ve played a little bit of basketball,” he said, adding his experience covers multiple years with the Gates County Community Center.

He also said he tried out football when he was in fifth grade. But it is baseball that has stuck.