Katelyn Liu
November 2, 2019
For most seniors in the fall, deadlines are creeping up as they decide which schools to apply and what to pursue. For one student athlete, however, the anticipation came to an end when he was recently recruited by one of his dream schools. Varsity baseball pitcher, Pieter van Wingerden, has committed to Claremont McKenna College, CA, and will be attending as a rising freshman in the fall of 2020.
Pieter has played baseball for almost a decade now, first dipping his toes into the sport when he was in third-grade. It was soon after that he found his calling, continuing to play when he moved to Hong Kong. He became a three-year varsity player and helped HKIS secure gold at APAC for the last two years.
During his summers, he attended several baseball events and showcases, building rapport with numerous coaches from different universities as well as other teammates hoping to pursue baseball at the college level. Upon visiting the Claremont McKenna (CMC) campus and starting a correspondence with their baseball coach, he fell in love with the school’s program and facilities. However, as an international student, his exposure to different programs was limited, as it was much harder for him to showcase his impressive skills as a left-handed pitcher for coaches who lived on the other side of the world. Pieter continued to communicate with CMC’s baseball coaches in the months following his summer program at the school and was still able to develop his athletic profile and gain traction in the baseball community.
“It’s all about hard work. The more that you give to something other than yourself, the more you end up with in the end.”
