Sandell: Commitment To Holy Cross 'Best Day Of My Life'

CAMBRIDGE, Ma. - Alex Sandell did not pull punches when talking about his commitment to Holy Cross.

“It was the best day of my life getting college squared away,” the Buckingham Brown and Nichols senior proclaimed. “It’s a relief to be going to a place I want to be at. It’s a dream come true.”

Interest from the baseball coaches at the Patriot League university began earlier this year.

“I sent a bunch of emails out in the spring and got a good response from them,” Sandell said of Holy Cross. “They came out to see two of my high school games and liked what they saw but said they needed to see me more. In the summer the head coach and an assistant came to five or six games for my travel team Boston Prime.”

A trip to Holy Cross, which is located 45 minutes from his home in Cambridge, came soon after for Sandell.

“They offered me on the spot on my visit,” noted Sandell, who committed that day. “From the very beginning of my recruitment they were always a top three school. I wanted to play Division I baseball close to my home and Holy Cross fits that for me. It’s not only a good baseball fit, but it’s a good academic school.”

Holy Cross was the first D-I offer for Sandell, who was talking to Rhode Island and Merrimack and also considering Babson before the visit to the university in Worcester, Ma. helped seal the deal.

“I saw they had a nice campus and great coaches,” Sandell reflected. “It was the perfect fit for me and an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

The 158th-rated senior in New England was also right for Holy Cross.

“They like that I am who I am,” Sandell said. “They liked my fielding and my hitting. I had a good year hitting for BBN, I won the top offensive award as a junior, and they saw that I could possibly excel and help them win games.”

It was in eighth grade when Sandell became interested in being part of the sport of baseball at the next level.

“I saw players that are now in college and I wanted to be a college-caliber athlete like they were,” Sandell related. “As I got older I realized I wanted to keep playing the game I love for as long as I can.”

But it was more difficult than expected for the 24th-ranked 2023 shortstop in New England.

“For my recruiting class it was hard with the transfer portal and that schools could get players that way instead of high school players,” Sandell explained. “It made it harder to find a spot. Along with emails, I went to a PBR showcase sophomore summer to get my metrics down and get ranked if you will. PBR was good for getting exposure to colleges locally which is what I was looking for.”

More assistance for the 79th-rated senior in Massachusetts came from being part of the Boston Prime program.

“They helped with my development in getting my ability as a baseball player to the Division I level,” Sandell noted. “My high school coach at BBN, Craig Mclaughlin, also helped with my recruitment, calling coaches and in teaching me the game of baseball at a high level.”

Improvement came along the way for the 5-10 160-pounder, who plays shortstop for his high school team and short, third and second base in summer travel ball.

“Buying into a workout program was the biggest thing for me,” Sandell pointed out. “The ball comes harder off the bat and you can throw it harder. The biggest thing was hitting the weight room.”

A 3.1 student at BBN planning to major in economics in college, Sandell looks ahead with excitement at what he can provide the baseball program at Holy Cross.

“I love the game of baseball and I love to win games,” explained Sandell, who will turn 18 this week. “Just being part of a baseball team and a college program is what I’m looking forward to. I want to work hard to be a player the coach wants to put into the lineup, but I know nothing is guaranteed. What they’re going to get from me is a good team player who will help the team win in any way I can.”