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Grinding all day on a tennis court doesn’t seem as grueling to Ben Koch compared to what his mother does every day.

Ben Koch With His Mom and Grandfather
© Contributed Photo

Emily Koch is a fifth generation crawfish farmer in Abbeville, Louisiana. She spends nearly seven hours a day in a boat pulling traps and performing manual labor in all weather conditions.

"I don't think many people can say their mom does crawfishing for a living,” Ben said. “I tell people when I’m playing in other states and they just look at me like I am a martian."

Tennis and farming are the family’s twin passions. Although Ben traveled away from home to get better training, he will be staying local to attend college. The blue chip senior signed with LSU to play for co-head coaches Andy and Chris Brandi.

“I really love everything about the school and the program,” Ben said. “I had Chris as my Intersectionals coach and just fell in love with his coaching style. And Andy is like a tennis legend. That made it kind of an easy choice for me."