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

