September 24th will be a day Senior Will Christophersen will always remember. It was on Sunday, September 24th that he announced his verbal commitment to play baseball at Michigan State.
Christophersen started eight games for the Pleasant Valley Spartans this past season as a pitcher, finishing with 68 strikeouts.
This will be an opportunity for Christophersen to get back to his roots. He was born in Michigan and for that reason, he was drawn to the school. Attending college and playing D1 baseball there will be a nostalgic experience. It was the atmosphere of the campus along with the culture of the university that appealed to him the most. It also didn’t hurt that the school is a member of the Big 10 conference.
“I was impressed with how they ran their program. I really connected with Coach Meade’s pitching philosophy.”
Iowa, Western Illinois, Dayton, and multiple junior colleges were after Christophersen but Michigan State University came out on top.
“It was humbling but rewarding. I learned a lot from all of the showcases, phone calls, road trips, and college visits,” comments Christophersen about the recruiting process.
Despite his love for the game, playing at the collegiate level was not something that seemed possible to him until a few years ago when his pitching velocity spiked. The First Team All District member was throwing in the lower 90’s as a Junior and that did not go unnoticed. Christophersen showed off his arm last summer with Team Iowa, catching the attention of MSU, who then jumped at the opportunity to give him a call the following day.
“Relief, but restlessness at the same time,” is how he describes his commitment. “Just another step in the journey.”
Guidance throughout his recruitment process was provided by pitching coach Nick Zumsande and Pleasant Valley head coach Bill Sandry. During the off-season, Zumsande was not only responsible for fine-tuning Christophersen’s mechanics but also with helping him develop a pitcher’s mentality. Coach Sandry had an impressive baseball resume, he played at Kentucky University and then was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round. Sandry was a source of unparalleled support for Christophersen, and it was his contacts that helped to open doors.
“What is really great is that Will doesn’t see this as the end goal, but more as the beginning. A natural next step in his career,” stated Sandry.
While Christophersen is still undecided about what field of study he will pursue, he does know Michigan State’s baseball program plans to use him as a pitcher.
Christophersen shares this advice for those who wish to play a sport in college: “Never be satisfied. Stay hungry.”
