(Editor’s Note: Aidan is a 2019 CF/LHP graduate of Half Hollow Hills West. He recently announced his verbal commitment to Fordham University. The following words are his own.)
On Sunday, March 18, I chose to commit to Fordham University.
That frigid morning, I visited Fordham with my travel baseball coach, Pete Kritikos of MVP Beast, and my parents. Coach Kevin Leighton gave me a tour around the campus for an hour-and-a-half and I immediately fell in love with the school. I’ve always found myself looking for a small campus and I found exactly that when I toured Fordham. Coach Leighton went into detail about life as a Fordham student, more specifically as a student-athlete, and the support system offered by the school to foster students with great ambition.
Over the past year, I have decided that I wanted to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Physics, and Fordham will offer me the support to achieve it while playing the game I love. The buildings on campus were impressive and the field was beautiful. Coach Leighton described it to me as a “lefty’s paradise” with its short porch in right field.
What I mainly liked about the campus was that it didn’t feel like it was in an urban environment, but rather a country setting.
Furthermore, despite being in one of the world’s largest cities, Fordham has all of its athletic facilities on its main campus. Just outside of the campus is the urban jungle of New York City and Arthur Avenue, which has some of the best Italian food in the northeast.
After the tour, my family, Coach Pete Kritikos and I sat down to watch the game against Cornell which ended in a 5-3 victory for my future team, the Rams.
Fordham is the perfect combination for my academic ambitions and my pursuit of a baseball career. I have dreamt of becoming a college baseball player ever since I was in little league. About two years ago, Coach Leighton saw me play for the first time at a winter showcase. After that, Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Rob DiToma, followed me very closely. On February 19, they asked me to attend their indoor camp at the Lombardi Center. A few weeks ago, Coach DiToma sent me a text message asking me to come for a visit. To be honest, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It validated all the hard work I’ve put in up to this point, and it has given me a bight future as a Ram to look forward to.
Another great thing about playing for Fordham is that I will be playing as both a pitcher and an outfielder. I have always loved being able to hit, pitch and play the field and I’m ecstatic that I get to continue doing all three. I cannot put into words how grateful I am for the opportunity extended to me by Fordham University to play the game I love at a Division-I level in their maroon uniforms, and I cannot wait to take the field.
