36 | JUNE 16 • 2022
B
en 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 his-
tory.
Chosid had three hits and two
RBIs in Kalamazoo’s 16-2 win
over Hope in the MIAA tourna-
ment 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 tre-
mendous bunter and situational
hitter.
“He was the leader of our
infield and that same matura-
tion 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 bat-
ters 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 his-
tory,
” Ott said.
The ball Chosid hit for the
walk-off win will forever be a
part of his life. He has it, mount-
ed and protected.
Chosid was a winner off the
field, too, according to Ott.
“Ben is a tremendous individ-
ual 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, spe-
cial things can happen,
” he said.
Chosid has two years of
collegiate eligibility remaining
because of the COVID-19 pan-
demic, 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 pur-
sue 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.
”
Send sports news to stevestein502004@
yahoo.com.
SPORTS
Ben Chosid did everything
for the Kalamazoo College
baseball team except hit a
home run.
He
Created
a Buzz
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Ben
Chosid
KALAMAZOO COLLEGE
Kalamazoo College
shortstop Ben Chosid
comes up throwing
after scooping up a
ground ball during a
game this season.
SUE MASSAT