Senior Brian Young of Neptune started playing baseball when he was 4 years old. His years of hard work are paying off now that he received an athletic scholarship to Rider University, making him one step closer to the big leagues.

Young found a passion for baseball at an early age and has been playing for over 13 years. He played about eight years of Little League and continued to play for various travel teams throughout high school. Young’s favorite baseball team is the Mets and he has dreamed of going pro since he was a child. 

“It would be the ultimate goal, but it’s pretty unrealistic for a lot of people. If that’s what it came to I wouldn’t pass it up,” Young said. 

He committed to Rider University, a division one school in Trenton, on a partial-ride baseball scholarship on Aug. 15. 

“I’ve alway loved playing [baseball],” Young said. “I noticed I was pretty good at it, and I thought if I kept working at it I could be really good,” he said. 

During a normal school year, Young would drive to the gym everyday before school to workout and get ready for after-school baseball practice. Young’s workout routine is extremely thorough and consists of mainly lifting weights and jump training. The pandemic continues to pose challenges for athletes all over the country, but even through quarantine Young made sure to stay in shape and not fall behind on his exercises.

“Knowing there are other kids not doing what I am right now [keeps me motivated],” he said. 

Young plans to take this hard work to college and beyond, and believes that college will only bring him closer to his goal of playing baseball professionally.

“[I’m] always with [baseball] through everything,” he said.