A visit to the local YMCA with his mom when he was three years old is when Colin Townsend first recalls enjoying the sport of baseball.
“I was playing first base. A ball got hit to third [base], and I ran over to third to go get the ball,” says Townsend. “So I kind of knew then when I was more interested in getting the ball than the out that I was going to be a baseball player.”
The JSerra Catholic High School senior plays a bit of everything for the Lions, slotting in at center field, catcher and the pitcher’s mound. Townsend hasn’t lost that joy for the game he first had as a toddler and is focused on making memories with his teammates in his final high school year.
“I just like having fun and competing with the people around me, all of my friends that I consider brothers,” says Townsend.
As one of the toughest high school leagues in the country, there is no shortage of competition in the Trinity League, where the baseball games are tight and the standings even tighter. Townsend hopes to help lead the Lions to a fourth consecutive Trinity League championship and uses his role as a senior leader on the team to help guide the younger players.
“I like to lead by example…show them what you have to do and how to be successful,” says the 18-year old.
At his core, Townsend is a baseball player, and that’s how JSerra varsity baseball head coach, Brett Kay, describes his reliable utility player.
“Colin has the perfect temperament for our team,” says Kay. “He knows the ins and outs of our system, and he’s ultra competitive. His versatility makes our team better. He’s a perfect fit for our program.”
Challenges for top-level athletes usually involve injuries, and Townsend had a scary one of his own when as a freshman, he took a cleat to the face near his eye. Sixty stitches later, he fought his way back to the baseball diamond.
“I came back that year and played, and it just kind of taught me [how] to overcome adversity,” says Townsend.
Townsend recently committed to play baseball for St. Louis University, where the San Juan Capistrano resident will also study business.
Grateful for the chance to bond with his teammates through their common faith, Townsend knows that both in baseball and in life, hard work is essential to success.
“Nothing is handed to you in life,” says Townsend, “so you’re going to have to work for what you want to achieve.”