Senior Eamonn Lance has committed to the University of Santa Clara for baseball.
Lance talked with other schools but decided on Santa Clara.

“I chose Santa Clara because they showed a lot of interest in me. I also love the location, and I love being close to home. I also love the coaches. It’s also just an overall good school with a great campus.” he said.

It has been a long journey that has paid off. Lance has traveled all over country for important baseball tournaments with his summer travel team NorCal that is currently ranked as the second-best team in the nation for their age group.

Playing with elite teammates put a lot of stress and pressure on Lance because most of them were either already committed or were committing early in the summer while he wasn’t getting a ton of looks from many colleges.

“The process was difficult. It was quite the grind,” Lance said.

Lance put up impressive numbers during last year’s MCAL season to earn himself a spot on the competitive travel baseball team. MCAL player of the year Lance had one of the best seasons in the school’s history last spring.

Lance led all of MCAL in batting average, slugging, RBIs, runs, and finished second in on-base percentage.

Lance’s 11 home runs tied the league and school’s records.

Recruitment doesn’t generally happen while playing for the school team.

“Ninety percent is my travel team and 10 percent is the Drake team, but playing well for the Drake team gets me on the right summer team which is important for the recruiting process.” he said.

To achieve his stats Lance worked hard. First, he had to transform his body and get bigger. He was in the weight room three days a week at 6:30 a.m.

“After going to the weight room with him I never wanted to go back because of how hard he works in there. He put me through some of the hardest workouts I have done in my life,” teammate Connor George said.

Through the fall and winter, he was out on the field every day whether it was after school or on the weekend working on his game.

“My teammates contributed to a lot of my success because they pushed me to get better as well.” Lance said.
One of Lance’s teammates who pushes him and has contributed to his success is Gabe Leary.

“Eamonn is a guy who doesn’t miss a morning workout. Throughout his years at Drake, he has dedicated himself to be the most disciplined athlete at our school. I respect the hell out of him.” Leary said.

Lance expects college will test his skills further.

“I am looking forward to being really pushed out there in a highly competitive environment. I want to progress as a player there. Playing everyday and challenging myself is going to be really good for me.” Lance said.