- NU pitcher Drew Christo went from a 8.44 ERA his freshman year to a 3.24 his sophomore season
- The Elkhorn alum spent this past summer playing in Alaska where he says he rediscovered his 'love for the game'.
- "Being away from everything and really being able to just enjoy playing baseball and competing again, which is what I found up there, which is that love for competition."
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
At Elkhorn Hgh School, Drew Christo was a three sport star. Now, the Nebraska pitcher is in year three at NU.
CHRISTO: It is a little weird, yeah. You look around and it's year three and it doesn't feel like it's been three years but yeah, you definitely feel a lot more comfortable with things and so it's a lot easier to help out some of the new guys and helping them find their way.
And finding his way as a Husker hurler has had its share of ups and downs.
Christo came to Nebraska with a ton of fanfare ranked as a top 50 recruit nationally and turning down a chance to play pro ball right out of high school.
But the former Antler's first college season featured just five appearances going 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA.
Christo more than doubled his playing time his sophomore season making eleven appearances and dramatically cutting down his ERA to 3.24.
CHRISTO: I think that comes from really focusing in on the day to day process and kind of disregarding the results. Baseball is kind of a sick game where if you really look into the failures and the successes and the wins and losses, you can really get deterred pretty easily. So if you focus on what you're doing and the routines that you're doing in practice and in the weight room, then you know you're on your way to better things.
WILL BOLT: He's always been very mature and he's always worked hard. I think you've seen the confidence grow, though. He didn't have to face a ton of adversity like a lot of kids coming out of high school. And he had to face it at this level with a lot of high expectations. So a lot of his work's been done behind the scenes.
Christo played this past summer in Alaska and no longer feels the pressure he once placed on himself to succeed as a Husker.
CHRISTO: Obviously, it's a beautiful place. It kind of frees you up out there going up there and just being away from everything and really being able to just enjoy playing baseball and competing again, which is what I found up there which is that love for competition. I think that made me a better pitcher for sure. That's kind of the benefit of struggling those first couple years, at least individually, was that I was able to focus things that matter to me a little bit more than on the field success: the relationship I had with my teammates and everything off the field too and kind of get my priorities right. So coming into this year I think I'm pretty free of expectations of myself and I'm able to compete just for the love of the game.
