The Sharks lost the first of a three-game playoff series against the Vermont Mountaineers Thursday evening. The score was a lopsided 11-1 in favor of the Mountaineers, but the Sharks return tonight with home-field advantage at the Shark tank for game two of the playoffs.
It has been an up and down season for the Sharks, losing their first six games and firing the head coach, then hitting their stride mid-season only to falter near the end. They clinched the last spot in the playoffs thanks in part to weather-related good fortune.
But a bright spot all summer has been shortstop Chris Hacopian, a standout from University of Maryland baseball team.
Hacopian is batting a mighty .370, with 9 home runs and 32 RBI’s for the season. During the school year, at the University of Maryland, Hacopian was ranked at the top of the freshman talent pool around the country. His sights are set on the major league.
Yet nothing is guaranteed. Certainly not in life or the base-paths. After injuries nearly derailed Hacopian’s dreams twice, he decided he needed to develop his spirit as well as his muscles.
“Honestly throughout the past few years, faith in God, faith in Jesus has been huge,” he said.
The injuries came at the tail end of Hacopian’s high school career, when he was already a hot prospect for Major League scouts. At 17 years old, he entered in a two-day showcase but broke the hamate bone in his hand while winning the home run derby.
Later, to get better exposure from scouts, he enrolled in a baseball academy in South Carolina. Four games in, hustling to beat out a ground ball up the middle, he tore his left hamstring crossing the first base bag.
“I believe that everything happens for a reason,” he said, reflecting during a recent break from practice at the Shark Tank. “If I have to deal with an injury for a few months, then I’m just gonna work, rehab and just try to stay level.”
After the baseball academy, Hacopian committed to the University of Maryland, where his father, Derek Hacopian, had been a legend. During Derek’s senior year he was named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.
Chris’ brother, Eddie, is currently a rising senior for Maryland, playing first base for the Terps.
“I was playing third base last year and a few times I’d look over to Eddie, over at first, and I’d see my dad in the crowd, and it would feel just exactly like when we would play Whiffle ball out in the backyard,” he said. “See my brother across from me and my dad watching through the window.”
His stats during his freshman season were on a slightly bigger stage than backyard Whiffle ball. Hacopian’s freshman campaign in the Big 10 saw him start and play in 55 games, hitting .325 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs. He was also second on the Terrapin squad in hits, and his 15 home runs are tied for second-most for a freshman in program history.
The accolades continued to pour in this summer — he was chosen for the NECBL all-star game and was named to the Perfect Game All-American freshman team.
“Coming here, I had a plan to compete every day,” he said. “Become a better overall baseball player by playing every day. And that’s the amazing thing about summer baseball is we get to play every day. And the guys on this team are great people and the coaches are awesome. It’s a great, great organization. And I’m just very thankful to be here.”
The Sharks play game two tonight, August 2, in a three-game series for the first round of the playoffs. They take on the Vermont Mountaineers at the Shark Tank, beginning at 7:05 p.m.
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