He Created a Buzz

SPORTS

Kalamazoo College shortstop Ben Chosid comes up throwing after scooping up a ground ball during a game this season.

Ben Chosid didn’t hit a home run in 95 games over his four seasons with the Kalamazoo College baseball team.

That wasn’t a problem. In fact, his skill set at the plate was a huge asset in the Hornets’ offense.

“I didn’t need to be somebody I wasn’t,” Chosid said. “When I got away from doing what I did best, I’d be swinging at air and walking back to the dugout.”

The Ann Arbor Huron High School grad was a .307 career hitter for Kalamazoo, batting .320 last season as a junior and .310 this season as a senior.

The shortstop had four hits in a game several times during his Kalamazoo career and knocked in a career-high five runs against Olivet in 2021.

He scored 33 runs and had 29 RBIs this season for the Hornets, who won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament and finished 27-13, recording the second-most wins in team history.

Chosid had three hits and two RBIs in Kalamazoo’s 16-2 win over Hope in the MIAA tournament championship game that gave the Hornets an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Kalamazoo coach Mike Ott said he never worried about Chosid’s lack of power.

“You don’t need to be a home run hitter to be productive in an offense,” Ott said.

“We were a top-15 offense (in NCAA Division III) the last two seasons and Ben was a huge reason for that. He turned over our lineup and got on base for the guys at the top of our lineup to do damage. He was a tremendous bunter and situational hitter.

“He was the leader of our infield and that same maturation came at the plate with him understanding what he was good at — going the other way, taking advantage of defensive shifts and placements and using the bunt game to get on base.”

Ott said Chosid had one of the biggest hits in Kalamazoo history this season.

It was a single — of course — that gave the Hornets a come-from-behind, walk-off 8-7 win in 10 innings over Mt. Aloysius (Ohio) on May 21 in the Marietta (Ohio) Regional, the first and still only NCAA Division III tournament win in Kalamazoo team history.

Chosid’s two-out single to center scored a teammate from third base, ending a day in which Chosid had three hits and two RBIs.

Kalamazoo trailed Mt. Aloysius 5-2 after two innings, 6-2 after five innings, and 7-4 going into the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Hornets scored three runs after the first two batters were retired in the ninth. Chosid had a single in the rally.

“I was so proud of Ben to take center stage in one of the biggest moments in our program’s history,” Ott said.

The ball Chosid hit for the walk-off win will forever be a part of his life. He has it, mounted and protected.

Chosid was a winner off the field, too, according to Ott.

“Ben is a tremendous individual who has earned everything that has come his way,” he said.

“He comes from a terrific family. He has upstanding moral character, and his work ethic is tremendous. He had a brilliant baseball career here on the field and he made an even bigger impact off of it.

“I’m so proud of who he is and has grown into and so grateful for the opportunity to have coached and been around him the past four years.”

Ott called Chosid a “glue guy” who was a big reason for Kalamazoo’s excellent team chemistry this season.

“He genuinely was as happy for other people’s successes as he was when he succeeded. When you have selfless leadership, special things can happen,” he said.

Chosid has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he’s not going to use them.

Instead, the 21-year-old will take the business degree he earned at Kalamazoo and head to Chicago, where he will pursue a job in real estate.

“I love playing baseball and I love Kalamazoo College, but it’s time for me to move on,” he said. “I’ll be getting a new start in Chicago, I have some job connections there, and it’s close to home.”

He Created a Buzz

Ben Chosid did everything for the Kalamazoo College baseball team except hit a home run.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SUE MASSAT

Ben Chosid

KALAMAZOO COLLEGE

Send sports news to stevestein502004@ yahoo.com.