Chase Farrell likes to play baseball. He also likes to fish.
According to the recent Valencia High graduate, the two have a lot in common.
“Being a pitcher, it’s a position where you face a lot of fish,” Farrell said. “You have to stay calm, you have to be real patient. You can’t rush yourself. You’ve got to trust that some fish will bite just like you’ll trust your defense will be behind you.”
Farrell caught plenty of fish this season, and a plethora of awards as a result.
He was named an All-American second team pitcher by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper on June 16, just days before he was selected as an All-CIF Division 1 first-teamer.
“I’m extremely honored and very humbled to have been a part of that list,” Farrell said. “I know there’s a lot that goes into it, and I’m very honored to be on both.”
Farrell, who was picked in the 40th round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros last week, was also tabbed as the Foothill League Pitcher of the Year.
A member of this year’s Foothill League champion Vikings team, Farrell had a 1.43 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings.
He’ll continue his playing career at UCLA in the upcoming season. He officially moves in on Sept. 22, but has been regularly going to the campus for baseball training and summer classes in addition to filling a role as a camp counselor at a UCLA summer youth baseball camp.
“To keep my mind off everything, I’ve always kept to training and I never really sit around too much,” Farrell said. “I’m always trying to be doing something. Just keeping my mind humble.”
