With family, coaches, educators and teammates in attendance, two Walsingham Academy seniors Wednesday became the fifth and sixth baseball players in the last six years to sign to play baseball at the collegiate level.
Christian Carter will attend California University of Pennsylvania in the fall while Zach Stanko will head to Farmville, Va. to attend Longwood University.
Christian is entering his fifth as a varsity baseball player for the Trojans. Christian has played in 100 games over his Walsingham career, posting a .274 batting average and a .362 on-base percentage. His enters his season season with 78 hits, including 11 doubles and 3 home runs, as well as 57 runs scored and 61 runs batted in.
Christian has primarily played first base for the Trojans but has also seen time in the outfield and on the pitcher's mound. Next year, Christian will look to take over at first base for Walsingham alum Thomas Chisam '15.
Zach is entering his fourth season on Walsingham's varsity baseball team after transferring prior to 9th grade. In his 77 career games as a Trojan, Zach has been an offensive force, hitting .372 with an on-base percentage of .449. He is currently third in Walsingham history with 93 hits, including 23 doubles, 3 triples and 4 home runs. Zach's outstanding bat control and hand-eye coordination have been on display throughout his career as he has never struck out more than seven times in a season.
Zach has also been a weapon on the mound, entering his senior season with a record of 10-6 and a 3.18 earned run average over 97 innings. He will continue to be deployed in multiple positions this coming season and looks forward to competing for a spot at a number of positions at Longwood University.
As Coach Ian Heisel noted at the signing ceremony, the most impressive statistic for both Christian and Zach is the number that can be found in the win column -- and they've been doing a lot of winning.
This senior class has led the Walsingham baseball program to an unprecedented level of success. Among their milestones are four state tournament appearances, the first TCIS championship game appearance in school history in 2016, setting the single-season record for wins twice in 2017 and 2018, and the school's first VISAA State Championship in 2018.
As much as Christian and Zach's on-the-field success speaks volumes, Walsingham Academy Athletic Director Neil Bailey says it is their growth off it that will help them succeed at the next level.
"Zach and Christian have been such great cornerstones of our baseball program for the last several years and I could not be more proud to see them reach their goal of continuing to play ball in college," Bailey said. "Their growth and maturity has turned them into outstanding young men and I look forward to following their success as they continue their respective careers."
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