For Upperman Bees baseball player Chris Wirsing, the sport has been a constant since childhood, something that started as a way to stay active and has grown into a key role on one of the area’s most competitive programs.
Wirsing said he first picked up the game at just five years old after being introduced by his parents. Years later, that early start is showing up in both his physical development and his steady approach at the plate.
“I start off hot and, just wasn’t going to change anything in my swing,” Wirsing said. “I try to keep the same approach and mindset at the plate and just keep grinding.”
That consistency has translated into production. Wirsing currently leads the Bees in extra-base hits, a reflection of both his power and his discipline. Wirsing said while he looks to do damage when he gets his pitch, he is equally focused on reading what pitchers are giving him.
“If they throw a lot of fastballs, they’re in the zone, I’ll tell myself if you see it, just hit it,” Wirsing said. “If they’re a little wild, I probably would take one, see a pitch and just go on with my at-bat from there.”
Wirsing said that balance has become central to his development. Wirsing said part of his offseason focus was learning how to hunt pitches without expanding the strike zone, especially as he has started to see more cautious approaches from opposing pitchers.
“That’s been a big thing for me in the off-season,” Wirsing said. “I feel I’ve been pitched around a little bit this year too, so I got to know that in my head that I’m getting pitched around a little bit.”
For Wirsing, that mindset is no accident. It is the result of years of repetition, adjustment and a willingness to trust what is already working.