Senior and varsity boys baseball pitcher Sean Episcope traveled to Jupiter, Florida, with the Chicago Cubs Scout Team to compete in the World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) World Championship on October 7. The showcase featured some of the nation’s top high school baseball players, including numerous D1 college commits.

Sean’s team tied the first game 0-0, won the second game 8-0, and lost the third game 1-0. Despite giving up only one run across all three games, the Chicago Cubs Scout Team did not advance to bracket play. “It was really really tough just cause we had two of our pitchers throw shutouts, and we had another pitcher throw a great game,” Sean said.

“We played this team,” Sean said, “and 25 out of 28 of their players were committed D1, and they had eight Georgia Tech commits. It was insane.” The caliber of players was elite, but Sean, who also is committed to a D1 school, deserved to be there just as much as anyone else.

For Sean, the process of committing to the admissions process at Princeton University was quick. There were only a few days between the offer and his decision.

“In those few days I was thinking about whether I wanted to wait for Boston College or Wake Forest or something like that to come around,” he said.

Being an impact player in college—someone who can come into a program and be a key player on the team—is important to Sean and helped him settle on Princeton over other schools, where he may not have started as a freshman.

Throughout his life, baseball has been a constant for Sean. When he was 12, he played baseball for Elite, a Chicago travel team. “The practices were two hours away, so right after school I would drive to practice, then get home at around 9:30,” he said. The rigorous training continues to pay off, as he reaches new milestones every season.

In Florida, Sean threw a fastball 93 miles per hour and had a no-hitter through six innings. “I haven’t had my first Latin home run yet—still waiting on that one,” Sean said, referencing his goals for the upcoming high school baseball season. “I haven’t thrown a perfect game yet, which is something I definitely want to do, and I think it is feasible for Latin.” Sean’s high aspirations for the approaching season have already sparked excitement among his teammates and coaches.

Senior Ryan Kramer said, “Sean’s probably one of the hardest workers you will ever meet.” Ryan has been playing baseball with Sean since he was about 6 or 7 years old, and has had the opportunity to watch him develop as not only a player but a person as well.

Latin’s head varsity baseball coach, Scott Marinier, also had positive things to say about one of his team’s aces. “Sean is one of those kids who not only works hard at Latin, but he is also extremely dedicated outside of the season as well,” he said. Sean’s dedication to baseball has not gone unnoticed by his teammates or coaches, all of whom are excited to see him return after his injury last season.

As words of advice from a D1 recruit to all of Latin’s aspiring ones, Sean said, “You have to have the mentality that you deserve to be there, and people are out there to watch you perform.”