Ontario Terriers 17U infielder Lucas Brown has committed to Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York.
Brown was impressed with the baseball program, facilities and head coach David Brust after visiting the school.
"Immediately when I visited Monroe, I knew it would be a perfect fit," Brown said. "I could tell right away that I would fit in perfectly with coach Brust's program. He's a coach that pushes his athletes to new levels, while at the same time taking the role of a father figure as he knows his athletes still need that parental guidance. Secondly, the size and facilities of the school fit perfectly with my needs and wants."
The Tribunes play their home games at a state-of-the-art field that was finished in 2013. Combined with the turf field, athletes also have access to a 17,000-square-foot athletic training facility that features 735 gallon hot and cold tubs, treatment tables, electrotherapy and ultrasound combination units and a power plate vibrating exercise platform.
Brown, who points to his team's 2021 Canadian Premier Baseball League championship as the highlight of his Terriers career, is thankful for all the guidance on and off the field the organization has provided.
"The Terriers and my two coaches in particular, Chris Willins and Ryan Pollard, have taught me the dedication and work ethic it takes to compete in the sport of baseball at the collegiate level," he said. "The Terriers program has taught me one lesson in terms of school that I will never forget. It's the notion that I'm a student-athlete instead of an athlete who's also a student. This lesson has driven me to keep my grades high while playing baseball on the side. This will help me in the future because unfortunately my baseball career will eventually come to an end, but my life must keep going on and academics will drive that."
Brown will be studying Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Now that he has decided on the next step of his academic and baseball journey, his focus now shifts to what he has to look forward to.
"I'm expecting to work, in the classroom and on the field," he said. "I'm excited about the amount of work solely due to the way the pandemic affected my high school experience. The pandemic slowed down our pace in the classroom. The impact of this two-year break has been monumental. That's why I'm excited to get to work. I want to get back on track.
The Monroe Community College Tribunes baseball team competes in Region III of the National Junior College Athletic Association. For more information on the program visit
mcctribunes.com.