It’s 7:35 a.m. and Chris Fallon walks into class with a distinct welt on his lip. His professor, not knowing that he is a major contributor to the St. John’s baseball team, asks what happened. Fallon laughs and says “I got hit in the face with a baseball.”
Fallon, a senior majoring in communications, does not know exactly what career he wants to pursue after he graduates. But one thing is for sure; he would love to be drafted by a team in Major League Baseball. “I hope to get drafted,” said Fallon. “If I get a chance, I would love to get to play in the majors.”
Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer recognizes all that Fallon has done for his team during his career. “I hope he gets a chance,” said Blankmeyer. “He put all that time and effort, he deserves it.”
Throughout his career Fallon has produced extraordinary numbers offensively. During his first three seasons, he had a combined .310 batting average, 30 home runs, and 107 RBI.
But the highlight of his career came in last season, when he tied Mike Dzurilla the single-season home run record with 16. “Tying the home run record was a great thrill,” said Fallon. “I wish I could have had four years like last year.”
Although hitting home runs is great, Coach Blankmeyer is looking for a little more from Fallon. “All you can do is go up there and hit the ball,” said Blankmeyer. “All I want him to do is produce RBI. It’s about the production. Yes, hitting home runs is great, but it’s even better when you score runs off of them.”
Playing first base is an offensive position. But not only does Fallon contribute heavily in offense, he’s not too shabby when it comes to defense. Last season, Fallon led the Red Storm with a .995 fielding percentage, committing only two errors in 395 total chances.
One of only two seniors on the team, Fallon realizes that this team is different from the lineup last season and that he must step up and be a leader. “We are really young this year,” he said. “We had a lot of talent last year, but sometimes we would show up to a game like we won and didn’t.”
A major factor this year might be the new field that the Red Storm can finally call home. “The field is definitely going to help,” said Fallon. “We finally have a home field. Traveling every day is torture. Now the guys look forward to playing.”
Fallon was one of the first players Blankmeyer recruited to the Red Storm. The numbers he has produced during his career show that he has proved his worth.
