By BEAU WICKER
Last season Chanse Baldwin hit .460 with four home runs and 43 RBIs as a junior for Caston’s baseball team.
The batting average and RBI total both rank second all-time in school history for single-season marks.
Baldwin enters his senior season fresh off of signing a national letter-of-intent to play baseball at IPFW, a Division I program, and he has high hopes for the Comets.
“I want to see 20 wins. I know we can do it,” he said. “We won 15 last year. It hurts with Ethan [Zartman] and Evan [Pulliam] leaving, but I think we can get 20 wins and be [Midwest Conference] and sectional champs.”
Baldwin is penciled in as the Comets’ starting first baseman and No. 3-hole hitter.
He’s also one of the top pitchers on the team.
“Right now Alex [Herd] is the No. 1, and I look to be two, three, four, right up there,” Baldwin said.
Caston coach Blake Mollenkopf is looking for another big year out of Baldwin.
“He’s had two really nice years as a sophomore and junior. This year he’s stepping into a leadership role, and we’re excited for him for that,” Mollenkopf said. “He’ll anchor down the heart of the lineup again hitting in the 3-hole for us. We expect him to continue what he’s done in his career. He’ll cap off a great career if he continues to do that.
“He’s worked hard in the offseason defensively to get better there at first base. I’d like to see that pay off for him. He’s grown a lot on the field and off.”
Baldwin pitches and hits left-handed, while he plays first base right-handed.
Baldwin is set to join former Lewis Cass standout Garrett Segraves next year at IPFW. Segraves is currently a junior. Former Caston standout Stacy Herrold played at IPFW before graduating in 2009.
The Comets open their season April 6 at Rochester.
The following is a question-and-answer session with Baldwin.
Q. Do you have any family members who played sports?
A. Yes, my father [Charles] was a basketball player in high school and played softball. My oldest brother [Christopher] played football, and my other brother [Charlie] played basketball, now my two youngest siblings [Brittney and Caleb] play sports.
Q. Have you ever played a sport you were not successful at?
A. No, I have been pretty decent at all the sports I play, just beware of the cue ball if we play pool.
Q. What kind of person would your teammates say you are?
A. The first thing they would say is that I am a slow person, hard-working, and funny. I lighten up the bus rides to and from games.
Q. Who do you try to emulate in your life?
A. My father because he is very hard-working, and he always tries to get me to do my best and never give up.
Q. What is something that not everyone knows about you?
A. The one thing that people don’t know about me is that I’m ambidextrous.
Q. What is your favorite memory of playing sports at your school?
A. The favorite memory that I’ve had is just playing baseball with all of my friends, and getting the experience and getting better.
Q. What’s your favorite band, movie, TV show, etc.?
A. Band: The Fray. Song: I’m Goin’ In by Lil Wayne. Movie: Friday Night Lights. TV show: ESPNews. Baseball team: Cubs. Baseball player: Ryan Howard. Best pitcher ever faced: Frontier’s Dylan Sterrett. “He’s just overpowering, and he’ll get you off-balanced with his curveball. He mixes it up. Overall he’s one of the best athletes around the state.”
Q. What are your future plans after high school?
A. The goals for my future are to go play baseball at IPFW and eventually play baseball in the major leagues.
• Each week during the school year the Pharos-Tribune recognizes an athlete from one of five area high schools. The recipients are selected by each school’s athletic department.
