Rookie baseball star key to team’s early success
In just one month as a General, Chadwick Feeley has already become a leader both in the dugout and in the locker room
Feeley has recorded a hit in all but six games so far this year. Photo courtesy of W&L Sports Info.
March 7, 2016
The Washington and Lee baseball team has found a rising star in rookie infielder Chadwick Feeley.
The right-hander has played in all 17 games thus far, and has shown his worth in the batter’s box. While hitting with a .270 batting average, his 11 runs are good for first on the team. He also leads the team in both hits and runs batted in (RBI) with 17 and 8 respectively. Feeley is fifth on the team in base percentage with a .370.
His performance at the plate has been paired with excellent play in the field. In 66 total chances, Feeley has only committed one error. He is second on the team in putouts with 34. He has also converted six double plays.
“I’ve been playing pretty well,” Feeley said. “I’m still getting used to college baseball but overall it’s been a good start.”
Transitioning from high school sports to college athletics is never easy. Feeley, who was a three-year letter winner in high school, said he’s had to make some adjustments as he moves from the high school game to college.
“The biggest difference between high school and college baseball is the time commitment. In terms [of] how many games we play a year and practice time,” Feeley said. “Also the amount of attention to detail in college is much greater than in high school.”
In order to make these adjustments and tune his skills to the college game, Feeley works every day to prepare for games. A typical day of practice consists of drills to keep skills in tune and defensive schemes fresh in the mind.
“I prepare for each game mostly in practice with the drills we work on everyday,” Feeley said. “On game day I like to hit batting practice and make sure I take some ground balls. Most importantly, [I] make sure I’m stretched and loose before the game starts.”
The Generals have already won more games than last season’s eight. The team is on pace to finish the regular season with 24 wins, triple the amount of wins as last year. Feeley said that he expects the team’s success to mirror his own as the season moves towards the playoffs.
“I expect our team to continue playing well and to qualify for the ODAC tournament and be successful in that tournament,” Feeley said.
The Generals play their next game on March 10 against Penn State-Harrisonburg and will look to Feeley to help lead the team to a victory.