Senior Aaron Chavez brings an energy and personality to the EMU baseball team that has made him very popular among his teammates.
The 5-foot-10 infielder is majoring in communications and said his favorite part of the game of baseball is
“the mental aspect.”
“He’s one of those guys with a big personality who gets along with everyone,” senior pitcher Tim Combs said.
Before deciding on Eastern Michigan University, senior Aaron Chavez considered playing baseball at several other schools including Sonoma State and California State University but eventually ended up far from home in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
“I wanted to play Division I,” Chavez said of the reasoning behind choosing the EMU.
Chavez came all the way from Milpitas, California, where he started all 48 games for the Ohlone Renegades and was team captain in 2009, hitting .272 on 34 hits and 12 RBI. He finished the season with a .963 fielding percentage and an on base percentage of .401 to help lead the All-Coast Conference in double plays turned.
In his spare time, Chavez enjoys dancing and playing sports video games.
“He used to perform in street dances and a lot of dance contests,” Combs said.
Chavez, who began playing the game at age five to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, played his final two college seasons with the Eagles. During that time, he accumulated a .971 fielding percentage and a .253 batting average in 32 games with 16 starts.
Chavez’s best game as an Eagle came against the West Virginia Mountaineers on March 20, 2010, when he went 3-for-6 with two runs scored in an impressive 23-0 win and said his favorite thing about the this team is “our ability to close out games.”
