The visitor dutifully obliged — he had parked directly in front of the batting cage located adjacent to the field — although he was somewhat surprised at the suggestion.

Until … he watched Branston Lindquist, Ben’s son, take his cuts.

Swinging a metal bat, the Falconer native and junior-to-be at St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster ripped line drives from the offerings of his father. None of the baseballs found their way through the cage netting, but Ben wanted to take no chances.

They’d learned their lesson a few weeks before.

Branston Lindquist

“Some folks who live nearby were having a little campfire and some beverages out back of their house adjacent to the parking lot,” Ben recalled. “Branston hit a line drive that found — or ripped — a hole in the screen and blasted a car that was parked near the folks having a campfire. They went to check it out when Branston went to get the baseball and found a nice dent in the back door. Thankfully, they weren’t too concerned about it and went back to their campfire and beverages.

“Branston came back to the cage and said, ‘Well, that could have been bad. … I guess things like that can happen when you park your car at the park.'”

It wasn’t the first “impression” — nor likely the last — that the teenager will leave this summer.

Folks in Georgia are about to be the next ones to find out.

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Falconer, N.Y. native Branston Lindquist transferred to St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster, N.Y. prior to his sophomore year. Times Observer photo by Scott Kindberg

According to the Prep Baseball Report press release, the PBR Future Games are a “one-of-a-kind event” that will feature the best uncommitted Class of 2025 prospects and select 2026 prospects from its 40-plus state coverage area and Canada. The Future Games will take place from Wednesday through Saturday at LakePoint in Emerson, Georgia. In years past, the release notes, more than 330 college coaches from throughout the United States have been in attendance.

One of the players they’ll see is Branston, who is a member of the PBR New York team that will play in three games this week. One of 15 position players from the Empire State to be chosen, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound catcher will also be put through a showcase workout in which he will run a 60-yard dash, take batting practice and be evaluated defensively.

If he continues to perform like he has so far this summer, Branston should be just fine in the Peach State. A peek on Twitter confirms as much as several videos show him belting line drives all over the field during trips with his travel team — the NY Stingers — to Indiana and West Virginia.

“It all started in February when I went to a preseason clinic in Pennsylvania,” he said. “I was out of town for the New York one, but I was eligible to go to (the one in Pennsylvania). Then the invites went out for the (PBR) State Games after that and I performed well.”

On July 2, he received the invite for the Future Games, and then went out and belted a pair of doubles for the Stingers that same day.

“I was pretty excited,” Branston said.

After his trip to Georgia, he will compete with the Stingers at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown the first weekend in August, followed by playing in the Babe Ruth 13-15 World Series from Aug. 12-19 at Diethrick Park in Jamestown. The latter tournament will mark the second time that he has played for the host team, having done so in 2021.

Branston likes their chances.

“I think we’re going to come out stronger,” he said. “We have a nice team. Most of the guys from the last (World Series) — with some extra pitching — are here.”

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Ben umpired in the minor leagues for a half-dozen years and Ben’s dad, Ray, has been a local youth and high school umpire for decades, so baseball has always been part of the Lindquist DNA.

Passing down the love for the game to Branston, therefore, wasn’t hard. He watched his dad and paternal grandfather call balls and strikes growing up, and he quickly showed a prowess for America’s pastime.

“I’ve kind of been self-driven,” said Branston, whose goal is to play college baseball. ” … I have a good mental approach to the game and I know what I’m doing.”

After starting his varsity baseball career at Falconer Central School, he transferred to St. Mary’s High School for the 2022-23 academic year and now lives with his family in Cheektowaga. A hip-pointer sidelined Branston for three weeks this spring, but all systems are “go” as he prepares to flip his personal calendar to August.

“Just stay focused,” he said when asked what advice he’d give to others. “Don’t let other people distract you from what you’re trying to do.”

In other words, the figurative netting may be compromised once in a while, but the dream doesn’t have to be.