Final Inning, Lasting Legacy

Name: Jason Chao 

Grade:  Senior 

Position: Outfielder and Pitcher 

Hand Dominance: Right

Height: 5’11

Hair Color: Dark Brown 

Eye Color: Dark Brown 

Date of Birth: October 25, 2007

Name: Andrew Choi 

Grade:  Senior 

Position: Catcher and Shortstop 

Hand Dominance: Right 

Height: 5’10 

Hair Color: Black 

Eye Color: Brown 

Date of Birth: September 8, 2007

Name: Jasper Yu-Dawidowicz

Grade: Senior 

Position: First Base and Pitcher 

Hand Dominance: Right 

Height: 6’3 

Hair Color: Brown 

Eye Color: Brown 

Date of Birth: March 7, 2007 

When and how did you start playing baseball? How long have you been on the Peglegs, Stuyvesant’s varsity baseball team, and what inspired you to join it?

JC: I’ve been playing baseball for most of my life. It was because of my parents; they signed me up for my town’s team (at the time, I lived in New Jersey). So, joining the Peglegs was a no-brainer. There wasn’t really any inspiration; it was just the right thing to do. Also, it was good for college. I’ve played on the team all four years.

AC: I started playing baseball in early elementary school, and I’ve been on the Peglegs for all four years of high school. I played baseball competitively a lot before high school, so I was already planning on joining the team. However, I went to some practices and games during eighth grade, and seeing how close the team was and how welcoming they all were, even to someone who wasn’t already on the team, inspired me to join.

JYD: I didn’t start playing baseball until pretty late, probably when I was like eight or nine. I think I started playing mainly because I was jealous of my brother, who had been playing tee-ball and Little League since he was young, and I wanted to try it out too. I joined the Peglegs at the start of freshman year and played two years on JV and then two on varsity. I knew I wanted to play a sport at Stuy, and baseball was the obvious choice. 

Do you play baseball outside of the PSAL? If so, do you notice any differences between playing outside versus for Stuy? Do the practices and games differ much? 

JC: No, I quit my club team back in NJ before coming to play for Stuy. But I will compare my experiences on both teams. On a club/travel team, you’re really playing for yourself. Playing on those teams is a way to develop your skills and showcase your talents. On the other hand, high school ball is a lot more serious. Wins and losses matter, especially since we only have 14 games in the regular season. You’re not playing just for yourself, but for your fellow teammates, coaches, and school. 

AC: Yes. The main difference is the team spirit. I’ve played travel baseball outside of Stuy every year since I was 11, and I’ve noticed that it’s more individualized. Sure, you want to win, but the people you play with don’t go to the same school as you, they don’t have the same classes as you, and you don’t spend four years with them. At Stuy, everyone is much closer, and this leads to us playing much tighter as a team. 

You all play two positions. What are they, how did you end up with them, what is it like balancing them and what skills/strengths are required?

JC: I’m an outfielder (left field to be specific) and a pitcher. I was initially a third baseman, but after some rough experiences when I was younger, I moved to the outfield. Meanwhile, I’ve pitched for as long as I can remember. Balancing them was quite difficult. Outfielding is repetitive, so whenever I practice, I simply work on refining my skills. These include positioning (fielding a ball to get more momentum into my throw), awareness (knowing where to throw the ball once I get it), and overall consistency. On the other hand, pitching is complex and very time-consuming. There’s a variety of pitches to learn (curveballs, sliders, changeups, etc.) that have unique grips and releases. On top of that, you have to focus on increasing throwing velocity, fixing mechanics, and locating your pitches effectively. There’s a big reason why most pitchers in the MLB never play another position.

AC: I play shortstop because one day in Little League, I got put at second base, and stuck with that ever since. At Stuy, I moved over to shortstop during my junior year. This senior year, our catcher quit the team, so I had to catch, which I had some prior experience with, but not much. Both of those positions are pretty central and require leadership and communication.

JYD: I play both first base and pitcher. I was always a pitcher since I started playing, and I actually also played first base my first season too. It’s kinda funny because my second year, the coach’s son decided he wanted to play first, so I got kicked out of that spot. But before my sophomore year at Stuy, we were practicing over the summer, and our coach saw something and said that he’d found our new first baseman. I think first base and pitcher balance each other, especially with my shoulder injury junior year, because you don’t have to throw the ball much at first base, so it’s a nice break after pitching. 

Did being captain change your outlook on baseball? What did the role entail? What was it like collaborating with two other captains? 

JC: Becoming a captain did not really change my outlook on baseball. When my senior year came around, I had a feeling it was going to be my last year playing competitively, so I aimed to work as hard as I could to make sure it would be my best. We captains lead team warmups and game chants, coordinated team practices and events with our coach, and simply aimed to set an example for the other players, especially the younger ones. Collaborating with the other team captains was pretty easy; we’re good friends outside of the team. It doesn’t take very long to make decisions.

AC: Being captain changed my outlook because I could no longer just focus on my individual performance. As a captain, the performance of the team matters much more than my own performance, so I had to focus on leading others. Collaborating with the other captains helped lead the team. 

JYD: I think becoming captain made me a lot more aware of the team chemistry needed to play baseball. Before playing in high school, I only played recreational league where my teammates picked what games they wanted or didn’t want to show up to and it made it so that there wasn’t a true sense of team chemistry. However, at Stuy, the baseball team is a really tightly-knit family and being captain made me realize how important that is. It also made me have to come up with ways to keep everyone enthusiastic while also trying to be a strong leader. 

What is your jersey number, and what made you choose that number?

JC: My number is 25. I chose that number because of my birthday, and it looks nice.

AC: My number is 34 because I was given that number when I was younger, and stuck with it.

JYD: I wear number 19, which I chose because it was the number Lewis, our old first baseman and the 2023 Stuy valedictorian, wore. I guess I always kind of looked up to him as a role model when I was an underclassman, and I wanted to carry that through my baseball career at Stuy. 

What is your favorite Peglegs memory?

JC: When we went down to Florida to play earlier this year, we took a day off and went to the beach. We did some conditioning, but finished it off with a football game. That was a ton of fun.

AC: My favorite memory is when I lost a relay race my freshman year and had to sing “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.

JYD: Aside from the big wins, like closing out a win against the city champs (Grand Street) last year, I love going to Shake Shack after every home game with the whole team. We always strut in with our two backpacks and dump everything in a corner. And of course, any memory with a double Shackburger with a strawberry shake can’t be a bad one. 

In your opinion, what are the best and worst parts about baseball?

JC: Personally, nothing really beats going to a major league baseball game and seeing the entire stadium erupt when the home team gets a big hit. The crack of the bat, and the applause that follows—it’s an unmatched experience. I would recommend going to anyone.

AC: The best (and worst part) is that anything can happen on any given day. You never know who’s going to win, and there’s so much randomness, yet there are also a lot of factors that can be controlled.

JYD: Starting with the worst, I think baseball is super boring if you’re not playing. It’s something like only 17-18 minutes of action for every three-hour baseball game, so it definitely moves slow, and that’s probably my least favorite part. My favorite part is everything else. Cheering for your teammates when they’re up to bat, facing a pitcher throwing the ball over 90 miles per hour, and the sweet crack when you know you’ve barreled a ball and it goes flying. 

What is something that you have overcome or are working to improve as a baseball player? 

JC: My fear of getting hit with a baseball. I had bad experiences getting hit when I was younger, and it’s been a struggle overcoming it since. Ever since I step in the batter’s box, I picture myself getting hit, and that mentality really hurts my batting ability. 

AC: Something that I’ve overcome is the fear of failure, or fear of striking out. I used to be afraid to strike out, but then I realized that if my approach is not to fail, I’m going to fail more often than not.

JYD: I think an area I’ve definitely improved in is my confidence on the field. When I first started playing baseball, I was terrified of messing up, which isn’t a mentality you can have when playing this sport. During my high school career, I think I’ve realized that and have worked to always step in the batter’s box with a plan and confidence in myself to take swings and make contact. 

Do you have any plans to continue baseball in the future or in college? 

JC: I may continue playing club baseball in college. However, my focus is on studies from now on. I am also considering playing men’s softball in the future.

AC: I plan on trying out for the club team at UMass (the actual team is D1, which is almost impossible to walk onto).

JYD: I plan to try out for club at Purdue, but they have the best club baseball team in the Midwest, so we’ll see how that goes. I definitely want to continue being involved with the sport in one way or another, but yeah, hopefully club the next four years. 

JC Fun Questions:

Funniest Teammate: William Rickens 

Favorite Baseball Team/Player: Shohei Ohtani 

Favorite Sports Drink: Gatorade 

Favorite Post-Game Meal/Snack: Shake Shack 

Playing on Full or Light Stomach: DEFINITELY Light 

Hobbies: Reading, playing video games, exercising

Baseball Pet Peeve: Annoyingly loud parents cheering for the other team.

If You Could Play Any Other Sport: Golf

Motto to Live By: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

AC Fun Questions:

Funniest Teammate: Kerick Espino 

Favorite Baseball Team/Player: New York Yankees 

Favorite Sports Drink: Pedialyte Sport (even though everyone else hates it)  

Favorite Post-Game Meal/Snack: Shake Shack—We go after almost every game at Pier 40 

Playing on Full or Light Stomach: Light 

Hobbies: Playing golf (now that I don’t have to worry about messing up my baseball swing), traveling, cooking

Baseball Pet Peeve: Not hustling after everything

If You Could Play Any Other Sport: Golf or Tennis 

Motto to Live By: “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.”

JYD Fun Questions:

Funniest Teammate: William Rickens 

Favorite Baseball Team/Player: New York Yankees 

Favorite Sports Drink: Glacier Freeze Gatorade  

Favorite Post-Game Meal/Snack: Shake Shack 

Playing on Full or Light Stomach: Light

Hobbies: Baking/Cooking, Flying 

Baseball Pet Peeve: Soccer players kicking balls onto our field

If You Could Play Any Other Sport: Golf

Motto to Live By:  “You’ll regret 100% of the shots you don’t take”