The Auburn baseball team has asserted itself as a contender in the CNYCL American League, making the Section III finals each of the last two seasons. And much of that resurgence has to do with the contributions of three-year varsity player Eddie Charles, who is The Citizen's player of the year for baseball.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Auburn right fielder Eddie Charles is The Citizen's baseball player of the year. The senior captain helped lead the Maroons to the Section III finals in back-to-back seasons, and was also one of the squad's leading hitters. He batted .438 with two home runs and five triples this season.
Auburn right fielder Eddie Charles is The Citizen's baseball player of the year. The senior captain helped lead the Maroons to the Section III finals in back-to-back seasons, and was also one of the squad's leading hitters. He batted .438 with two home runs and five triples this season.
The senior right fielder was a team leader and a captain, while also leading the squad in triples (five), total hits (39) and is tied for first in home runs (two). He was second on the team in slugging percentage (.674) and batting average (.438). His 26 RBIs were enough for third on the team, while his on-base percentage (.490) was also third best. In the field, Charles had a .968 fielding percentage with just one error, while adding two assists.
And the extra practice - taking reps in the cage and shagging fly balls - has paid off in more than just numbers for Charles. He'll be playing baseball at Siena College in the fall.
“All the hard work definitely helped to make me into a much better player,” Charles said. “Before the varsity level, I had flaws and coach (TJ) Gamba and coach (Tom) Napoli got me ready for this level.”
Against top-ranked Liverpool in the Section III, Class AA semifinals, Charles hit a key home run that propelled the Maroons to victory. It was something that wasn't new for Charles. It seemed whenever he came up with the game on the line, he came through, starting a domino effect through the rest of the lineup.
“I'm a leader by example,” Charles said. “I feel like I try to get my team going with the big hit and get the guys going.”
Before the snow even melts in central New York, the Auburn baseball team is back in the weight room, training for the upcoming season. So Charles knows what it takes to succeed and he knows that baseball is a year-round sport. He'll take that knowledge and a strong work ethic with him to Siena College.
“Gamba definitely helped ingrain the qualities needed at the next level - hard work and dedication and I bought into that and it's helped with my success,” Charles said.
And the extra practice - taking reps in the cage and shagging fly balls - has paid off in more than just numbers for Charles. He'll be playing baseball at Siena College in the fall.
“All the hard work definitely helped to make me into a much better player,” Charles said. “Before the varsity level, I had flaws and coach (TJ) Gamba and coach (Tom) Napoli got me ready for this level.”
Against top-ranked Liverpool in the Section III, Class AA semifinals, Charles hit a key home run that propelled the Maroons to victory. It was something that wasn't new for Charles. It seemed whenever he came up with the game on the line, he came through, starting a domino effect through the rest of the lineup.
“I'm a leader by example,” Charles said. “I feel like I try to get my team going with the big hit and get the guys going.”
Before the snow even melts in central New York, the Auburn baseball team is back in the weight room, training for the upcoming season. So Charles knows what it takes to succeed and he knows that baseball is a year-round sport. He'll take that knowledge and a strong work ethic with him to Siena College.
“Gamba definitely helped ingrain the qualities needed at the next level - hard work and dedication and I bought into that and it's helped with my success,” Charles said.
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dgfenn wrote on Jul 7, 2009 8:55 AM: