Aaron Shalin wants to finish what he started. As he moves on from ETHS to Hamline University, he looks back on what he missed out on.
“I missed the end of the baseball season last year and the whole summer due to my back injury, being out really made me realize just how much I love playing the game of baseball,” said Shalin.
Shalin began playing baseball at a young age, growing up around the sport.
“I grew up playing T-Ball, and have played EBSA since I was 8. I’ve been enjoying it ever since,” mentioned Shalin.
Shalin has always wanted to play a college sport, and Hamline is only a six-hour drive from home. But to play a college sport and play it in a professional stadium (The Hamline baseball team plays at CHS Stadium, where the Twins’ AAA team plays), well, that’s just icing on the cake.
The smaller school made Aaron feel right at home as well. The total enrollment size of Hamline is roughly 2,700 people, while ETHS’s is about 3,575 kids.
“The stadium obviously played a small role in my decision to go to Hamline, but I really like the smaller school, and I enjoy learning with smaller classes,” stated Shalin.
Baseball isn’t the only focus for Aaron at Hamline. He plans to major in psychology and hopes to help out other athletes with their mental strength after his baseball career ends.
“I’ve been working with a mental performance coach for the last 4 years, and it’s really helped me improve my game,” said Shalin. I just want to learn about that, and hopefully after college I can use that mental performance and help athletes get through the things I’ve been able to get through.”
