REMUS - The baseball game has always been ahead of Chippewa Hills senior Gavin Wellisley. For as long as he can remember, he has been surrounded by the game, and it is the only organized sport he has ever played.
Now that he is preparing to take a big leap into the next phase of life, he hopes to be able to pursue his passion at the collegiate level.
Although he is unable to do so in the long run, Wellisley does not regret the time he spent on the Warriors’ diamond and has high hopes for whatever may come in the future.
This fall, Wellisley plans to go to college north of the border at Toronto’s Ryerson University.
“I just like how it’s not that far from home,” Wellisley said. “Toronto is only six hours away, and I’ve always heard good things about Canada - it made me look at it.”
For Wellisley, he always wanted to move to Toronto, a place that is often included with New York City, Los Angeles and Mexico City in various top 10 lists of North America’s most populous cities.
Although he has neither visited Toronto nor crossed the border into Canada, Wellisley said that the prospect of living in a city many refer to as Hollywood North is something he has been thinking about for quite some time.
Ryerson offers some of the programs that Wellisley said he plans to go into.
“Their graphics program is one of the best in Canada and the United States,” Wellisley said. “I wanted to do (graphic art) before I even knew about Ryerson. We happened to come across Ryerson, so it was perfect. ”
After missing out on what would have been his junior season in Warrior uniform, and first in the college squad, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wellisley sucks up every single round on the diamond this time.
Still, every time he laces up the bricks and hits the ground, he does so by knowing how quickly it can all be taken away, which was the case for Wellisley and friends a year ago.
Without the 2020 high school baseball season to speak of, Wellisley tried to fill the baseball void and joined Post 110, a travel team based in Mount Pleasant. But that season provided few opportunities to play at a competitive level.
“It was very difficult at first, and then I found a (travel) team,” Wellisley said. “We played for about two or three weeks, and that was about it - we did not get too many games. The whole baseball summer felt bad. I felt so upset that COVID ruined it. ”
This season has been drastically different from what was to take place last year, but the time on a baseball field has been good enough for Wellisley and the Warriors.
“I’m having as much fun as possible for the last year of baseball,” Wellisley said. “So far I’m having a lot of fun.”
Wellisley has traditionally been something of a utility player and has taken the field in a number of different places, but recently he has found his home in the right field and at second base.
There have been times this season where Wellisley has been asked to throw when needed.
“I prefer others, but I honestly think I play better in the field; I’ve made some good plays out there, “said Wellisley.