For
Tejanos outfielder, Christopher Bath, the transition to EPCC has not
been an easy one.
Bath exchanged the cold, snowy weather of his native Canada for the
hot, dry summers of El Paso to follow his baseball dream to become
a major league baseball player some day.
Even
though he grew up playing all sports, he found his true niche.
“Eventually I found out that baseball was my thing,” he
said.
It’s ironic that Bath grew up loving the sport that isn’t
as popular as other sports in Canada, since it is an outdoor game
and it is only played during summer.
Bath said he came to play for the Tejanos because he wanted to move
to a place where he could play baseball all year around. Bath was
playing for a premier baseball league tournament in Arizona, when
he was approached by Tejanos’ head coach Shannon Hunt, and was
offered a full scholarship to EPCC.
Though
he misses his family, his home and his girlfriend back in Canada,
Tejanos outfielder Christopher Bath is slowly making the
adjustment to life in the West Texas town of El Paso.
Photo by Erika Hernandez
“We
talked a lot on the phone and he had a lot to offer. The way he talked
he made me feel comfortable and my mom loved it,” Bath said.
Although the 6-foot-3 ballplayer is happy to be living in El Paso,
he has encountered some struggles with his transition. “El Paso
is perfect, however, I have been home sick. Being with the other guys
has helped me,” he said. “But I miss my family, the small
town feeling and my girlfriend.” Bath is not the only Canadian
player on the Tejanos roster.
Freshman catcher Cody Valgardson and freshman infielder Brenden Osborn
are also up North. Personally, Bath feels that his talent helps the
team.
“I have a lot to offer,” he said.
He hopes to be able to incorporate his skills with the rest of his
team, so they can go far when they get into the regular season during
the spring. One of the main things that has helped him adapt faster
to his new life is that the team and coaches have made him feel really
welcome.
“I really enjoy coach Hunt. I learned in one month here what
I didn’t learn in a year from my last coach,” said Bath.
Bath is working hard on and off the field to earn a starting outfield
position with the Tejanos. “I guess it all comes down to how
much I push myself for my dream,” he said. “At times,
baseball can be a kind of a chore, but then again, baseball is my
life.”
