By: Emily Mitchell
Senior Shortstop Chad Christensen was named honorable mention in Rawling and Perfect Game USA pre-season rankings for baseball. He was picked for the Central Region, 1 region out of 8 in the nation. There are three rosters: 1st team, 2nd team, and honorable mention, all consisting of 50 players each. They fill positions such as pitchers, catchers, outfielders, and infielders.
Rawlings and Perfect Game USA do a pre-ranking of all the baseball players in the nation. This consist of 240,000 players. The announcement was made Tuesday, March 12 in St. Louis.
When asked how he felt about the award, Christensen responded, “I feel pretty good knowing my hard work has paid off. It’s exciting because I know I have a lot of potential that I would like to meet and hopefully continue to play the way I have been playing.” He said he was surprised because “not very many people were on it from Iowa.” Christensen says this will help boost his confidence “a lot” but hopes it doesn’t “go to his head” and knows he needs to “continue to play the way I have been.”
Christensen led the team in at bats last year with 108. He had the third most runs with 24 and had 28 hits on the year. He finished the year with nine stolen bases, six bunts, four doubles, and one triple.
Christensen is excited for “his final year” and “hopes it will be fun like the other four.” Chad has played baseball as long as he can remember.