Senior Josh Magallon has been playing baseball since 4 years old, and now he’s continuing to follow his passion to college. Last week, he signed to play for Roosevelt University in Chicago.
“It started with my parents just throwing me into Little League when I was a kid and just trying me out with a bunch of different sports,” Magallon said. “Baseball always stuck with me.”
He has always felt a special connection with the sport.
“What I love most about baseball, I feel like it’s always an escape. Whenever I’m stressed out, it’s just an escape to go to just release all my tension and take my mind off of things,” Magallon said.
This new chapter in his life is exciting for him, and the people around him who have helped him.
“I’m super proud of him for signing to a Division 2 school,” Head Coach Joey Traina said. “It’s huge for our program, huge for our team, and huge for him. I’m super proud of him and all the work he’s put in to get to that point.”
Magallon made his choice after visiting the school several times and meeting the faculty and coaches.
“I picked Roosevelt because I felt it gave me the greatest opportunity to play baseball,” he said. “It had a good facility, a great program, and also I wanted good academics, that’s my No. 1 thing. I’m going to major in biology on a pre-med track, so I need a strong academic program as long as it has an athletic program, too.”
He also got a chance to meet his new team.
“At my first baseball visit in January, I ended up getting to practice with the new team and seeing their practice facility, the dome, and running through a quick workout with them. I did meet most of the team and had a quick introduction with them,” he said.
Although signing to a university is exciting, it can also be a bittersweet moment.
“What I’ll miss most about MHS baseball is probably the sense of family that we’ve grown over the past four years,” Magallon says
As Magallon learns and shifts to this new team, one thing won’t change.
“I’m going to keep playing catcher throughout college,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve thought about switching positions before, but I like how physically demanding it is. I like the position on the field where you’re in control and it’s basically your field and you’re controlling everybody and bringing everybody together.”
Coach Traina said Magallon is a dedicated player who is constantly striving to be the best player he can be, practicing how to block pitches better as a catcher, how to frame pitches better, and overall just doing whatever he can to become a better player.
“What makes Josh a special player is his commitment and respect to the game. He’s constantly committed to different types of drills that he can work on to perfect his craft,” Traina said. “He’s always just trying to educate himself on games.”
