Justin Childers (Ohio Dominican University)
Justin Childers (Ohio Dominican University) has been named Albany Dutchmen Spotlight Player of the Week #1 for the week of June 1st-June 8th, 2016
Childers, a Pinkerton, Ohio native, just finished up his sophomore year at Ohio Dominican University and has started off the year with a hot bat for the Dutchmen.
Through five games, Childers leads the team in hits (7), home runs (1), runs batted in (8), and is second in batting average (.350) and runs (5).
“It feels really good,” Childers said. “But I think there’s a couple things that lead me to that strong start in the first week.”
Childers said that the coaching staff, headed by skipper Nick Davey, welcomed him with open arms making the transition to the Dutchmen much easier.
Ohio Dominican assistant baseball coach Chris Antonides reached out to Dutchmen coaches earlier in the year about Justin and his work ethic and passion for baseball. After spending the summer after his freshman year in Ohio playing baseball locally and working hard in the weight room to improve his playing strength, Childers was ready for a bigger step in his baseball career, and the Dutchmen were one of the first to display interest in him.
“They loved what I had to offer,” he said.
While moving from Ohio to New York is a difficult transition and process for any player his age, he hasn’t had to do it alone. Childers mentioned his wonderful host family, Cassidy and Rob Sholz for their help with his move to the Capital Region.
“They’re a great family and they’ve done a great job welcoming me with open arms and making an easy transition from back home,” Childers said.
As for on the diamond, he hasn’t skipped a beat from playing college ball for the Panthers, where he led the team in runs, home runs, and was tied for the team lead in extra base hits, while finishing second in doubles (10), triples (2), and RBI (38) all while batting .327 on the season.
Although he’s unfamiliar with almost all of the pitchers he’s facing besides a few scouting reports the Dutchmen coaching staff give him, Childers likes the unpredictable approach and the learning curve that the PGCBL has presented his so far.
