Committing to play a sport at the collegiate level is a huge accomplishment that deserves to be recognized.  To showcase this achievement, B.C.S.N Creator Samantha Philipp, sits down with the student athletes at Norwalk High who have committed to hear their story.

Baseball player Chris Balchius, has found his new home for the next four years! Chris, a senior at Norwalk High School, looks to have a great upcoming baseball season for Norwalk High this spring.  He has just recently committed to play college baseball at Division 3 Springfield College in Massachusetts!

Q: How long have you been playing baseball?

“ I have been playing baseball basically my whole life.  I started when I was three years old, off an old tee my dad had with an old metal bat and a squishy baseball.” 

Q: Why did you choose Springfield? 

When asked, Chris explained how “Springfield had the major I wanted, which is PE and health education.  It’s just a plus that it is a school I can play baseball at as well.  My dad and coaches have always said, “choose the school for your education, then worry about sports.”  This is true, school is first for me but baseball is a super close second.” 

Q: What was the recruitment process like for you? 

“The recruitment process was definitely difficult for sure.  I didn’t have a lot of schools interested in me because I was small all throughout highschool and just around junior year started getting bigger.”  After junior year, Chris started to get noticed by a few D3 schools like Salve Regina, Roger Williams, Springfield, Westconn and Eastconn.  Throughout his recruiting journey however, his favorite part about it all was “definitely showing the coaches what I have and proving that I can play at the college level.”  

Q: How did Norwalk sports prepare you for the next level? 

“Norwalk High baseball helped me tremendously, especially Coach Mitch.  He has taught me how to be a better baseball player and a better man as well.”  Coach Mitchell, the head coach of Norwalk High’s baseball team, also taught Chris to “always to compete and never give up which is the team’s motto #COMPETE.”

Q: Do you have any advice for athletes looking to compete at the next level? 

When it comes to advice, Chris expressed the importance of hard work, “always think there is someone working harder than you, whether that’s putting up more shots or taking more reps.  You shouldn’t let anyone be a harder worker than you…you need to be the one that works the hardest.”