West Chester University second baseman, shortstop and outfielder, Sean Bond, was recently named the PSAC Player of the Week. While leading the Golden Rams to six wins in seven games, Bond hit .429, scored eight runs, had seven RBI and was perfect in all four of his stolen base attempts. On the season, Bond is leading the Golden Rams in hits, runs, RBI, batting average and on base percentage. Things didn’t always look so great for Bond. Two seasons ago, under former head coach Chris Calciano, Bond couldn’t get off the bench.
“A whole season of eligilbility for nine at-bats. It just sucked,” said Bond. “Now, our coach [Matt Brainard] gives our players a lot more chances to prove themselves.”
During his tenure at Great Valley High School in Malvern, Bond was scouted and had plans of attending West Virginia University. After his plans fell through, it all worked out that Bond would attend West Chester University. Other than a rocky freshmen year, Bond has no regrets, and his decision to attend and play for WCU has been great one.
This season, Bond has filled in where needed in the field. Bond has played both middle infield positions and some outfield, a position he claims to have new respect for.
“I just have a new-found respect for outfielders because judging the balls off the bat, and trying to field balls in our choppy outfield is much harder than I anticipated. With the sun in your eyes, it makes it even more difficult.”
Bond grew up playing third base and shortstop, but has since grown to love playing second base. After getting used to some of the footwork, which is different from the other side of the diamond, Bond has adjusted and excelled at his new home at second.
After graduating, Bond is hoping to get a job in the baseball field and start working his way up and saving some money for the finer things in life. If the baseball profession doesn’t work out for him, he also wants to do some web design work.
The Golden Rams are in the midst of a division race despite starting the season at 0-7. After winning the PSAC East last season and coming two wins from being in the College World Series, the Golden Rams were not picked to win the division again. Starting 0-7 certainly justified the preseason prediction, but now with a winning record, the Golden Rams have righted the ship, with Bond being the captain. Although it will be impossible to top last season’s win total (38), the Golden Rams can still do some damage and hopefully capture another PSAC East title.