Chris Jacinto warms up with the rest of the infield in the team’s March 19 game. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

The top of the order for Washington University baseball is made up of three underclassmen who have been making some noise. 21 games into the season, the team’s most prolific hitter is freshman Chris Jacinto. Jacinto didn’t begin the year with a starting role, but he’s worked his way into the starting spot at second base. After having one at-bat in the team’s first series of the season, he’s hit over .400 in three games this season with a .345 average. Jacinto sat down with Student Life to chat about Texas baseball, his transition to WashU, and his superstition that started when he hit the first homer of his collegiate career against Westfield State.

Student Life: Starting off, run me through your baseball background — how you got started and what positions did you play as a Little Leaguer?

Chris Jacinto: I played pretty much year-round, but it was a grind. There were no breaks at all; I played shortstop and pitcher in little league, and now I play second base. So that’s a bit of a change. And then I played in Houston, Texas…there’s a lot of competitive baseball going on down there. 

SL: Tell me a little bit about Texas baseball because I know that coach Pat Bloom does a lot of recruiting there.

 CJ: The main thing is that we’re used to playing in hot weather. In the greater Houston area, there’s so many little subregions that you’ll find everywhere you go. Same thing in Dallas and San Antonio — just everywhere. There are so many guys who want to play, so it helps everyone get better when you’re in these tournaments. 

SL: So then how did you get to St. Louis from Texas? 

CJ: WashU was my number one choice since junior year. I went to a showcase over the summer in Long Island [where Bloom recruited]. In case WashU didn’t work out, there were a bunch of other schools, but I made sure to talk to coach Bloom and at the time coach Rosen to try to get a good spot on their radar. So that’s how I got to know WashU — the academics drove me to play at WashU, and then the baseball was an additional thing. 

SL: Talk to me about the beginning of the season and how you’ve solidified your starting position at second base — a spot with a lot of upperclassmen competition. 

CJ: At the beginning of the year, I was struggling a bit. I would get contact here and there, but I was nervous. I wasn’t used to college baseball; it’s a different animal. And then one weekend against Illinois-Wesleyan, I settled in. I had a good game [and that] gave me confidence to go out and play my game. And ever since then, it’s felt really good to play good baseball and to be a starter. 

SL: What do you feel was the biggest struggle in that transition to college ball? 

CJ: The 5:30 a.m. lift, for sure. 

SL: Anything baseball-wise that you’ve been adjusting to? 

CJ: The pitches [that] I’m facing are much better than anything I’ve seen back home. Texas has really good pitching too, but it’s just the sequence of pitching that the pitchers will go through, the offspeed pitches. They’re a lot harder to hit, so I’ve been striking out more than I ever did before. 

SL: So what’s been your favorite WashU baseball memory so far? 

CJ: Probably the Memphis game against Westfield State, where I hit my first home run. There were also some swings that just weren’t very good swings, and the balls were just finding a hole. I was like, “This is my day. I’m getting really lucky.” 

SL: And are you superstitious at all? Do you have any baseball superstitions? 

CJ: I’d say so. The model of the bat I swing is a Rowlings — so I only use a certain one my first four at-bats. And then if I do get a fifth later in the game, I use a different bat. How it got started was in the game against Westfield State. I was only using one bat for all of my at-bats, but I was on deck and the person ahead of me struck out, so I wasn’t gonna ask them for it. So I was like, I’ll swing the other one. And then I hit a home run with it. So now, I’ll have to continue that. 

SL: Love those days. And did you sing karaoke on the bus in Arkansas? 

CJ: Yes I did; “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.

SL: If you could have a walkup song, what would it be? 

CJ: I think about this a lot. There’s an instrumental that no one knows. It’s called “Tengo La Voz.” But a more common song would probably be “Rest of my Life” by Bruno Mars. 

SL: So outside of baseball, what are you up to? 

CJ: I’m [an] Economics [major] but planning on transferring to Olin to do Finance. I was watching Outer Banks, which I finished. I think the plot and character to character, I enjoy. I think it’s really good. But John B’s dad just really annoys me. Just enjoy time with your son. 

SL: So last question, and it’s a weird one. Would you rather have fish for hands or adopt a child every time that you hear Bohemian Rhapsody? 

CJ: I’m definitely going with adopting a child instead of fish for hands. I think if I don’t listen to a lot of ‘70s [and] ‘80s rock stations, I think I can avoid it. I’m feeling confident in that answer.

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