New Trier Alum Enjoys Rookie Year at Pro Level

The first time 's Chris Lashmet made the trip to State College, PA, with Northwestern University's baseball team, he really enjoyed the experience.

The Nittany Lions built a state-of-the-art baseball complex, and he was entrenched as the team's starter at third base.

It probably didn't hurt that the junior hit .429 with two doubles as the Wildcats took two out of three games from Penn State back in 2010.

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So when Lashmet was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 33rd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, he was assigned to the team's Class A affiliate--the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League--to begin his journey to the big leagues. Medlar Field and Pennsylvania became his home this summer for his first taste of pro ball.

"I'm really enjoying myself and feel very blessed for this opportunity," Lashmet said in an interview during the team's home finale last week. "The fans are great here and the facility is the top of the line."

The two-time, All-Big Ten selection played 60 games with the Spikes, batting .231 with two home runs and 22 RBIs as the team's starting third baseman. But toward the end of the season, he finally was hitting constantly, batting .265 in his final 10 games with a .375 on-base percentage.

Behind the Draft

Lashmet credits getting drafted to his time in Evanston, where his final two seasons put him on many teams' radar for this year's draft. He was a first-team all-conference selection in 2010 after hitting eight home runs and driving in 43 runs with a .322 batting average in 55 games. During his senior year, his power dipped a bit (3 HRs) but his batting average jumped to .353. Lashmet completed his Northwestern career ranked fourth in school history in hits (238) and second in doubles (49).

"I heard that a few teams were interested and I know after a great junior year and after being all-conference two years in a row, I thought I'd be drafted," Lashmet said. "When I got to college, I would say I was much more of an offensive guy, but four years of hard work has balanced that out. I'm more of a complete player."

Different Work Ethic Required

One of the things the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder wasn't expecting about pro ball was the amount of time put in on a daily basis. For a weekend series in college that requires a long bus trip home, most teams give their players time off on Monday. That's not the case at this level.

"In the minors, we might get home at 2 a.m. and have to wake up early to get our work in. The hours are just much more than I expected," Lashmet said. "I knew it was going to be a grind every day. You come out and get a few hours of work in before batting practice. It's long and tough but it's a great experience. I'm so blessed and happy to be here."

What's Next

Now that his season is over, Lashmet will be just one of the many minor leaguers attending instructional leagues from late September through early October.

The 2007 New Trier grad is looking forward to a little break. He does plan on working out with the Wildcats' baseball team in the offseason and has lots of experience to provide to his former team.

"The mental side of Northwestern having class every day before you get to practice or have a game is really tough. You start in September and go all the way to June," Lashmet said.

"The one thing I'll take back to Northwestern in the fall is sometimes those guys complain about having too much baseball. The reps at this level are 10 times more than what you experience in college," he added.