Hard Work on Field, in School, Pays Off for Brewster Alum

To succeed as a student-athlete is a difficult thing to do, but Brewster graduate Chris Byrnes seems to pull it off like a pro.

In the classroom at , Byrnes made good grades a priority. He graduated third in his class and is headed to Boston College (BC) in the fall. His story on the field is a similar one — the first baseman/pitcher batted a team-leading .466 in his senior campaign for Brewster’s baseball squad this spring.

He told Patch that there were at least a few factors that contributed to that high average — including some senior year confidence.

“I like to attribute a lot of that to my coaches, definitely because from the end of the winter, to the beginning of the spring, a lot of team work, a lot of work in the cage,” Byrnes said. “I had a subscription at a local batting cage that my father had gotten for me. It was just a lot of repetition. I just felt comfortable at the plate all year.”

Byrnes is not sure just yet whether he'll bring that comfort to the squad at college. He plans on looking into the baseball team, and if the varsity team does not work out, he will look to club or intramural programs.

“That is still up in the air, I have yet to talk to the coach,” Byrnes said. “I’m looking forward to try and walk on."

Byrnes said that there were multiple reasons behind his choice to attend BC.

“Everything I have heard about Boston is that it is a great college town, a great college life,” Byrnes said. “And I really love sports and BC really provides that sports atmosphere with a lot of baseball, hockey and basketball.”

Byrnes is a Diamond 9 award-winner, an honor that recognizes students for combined talent in both the academic and athletic realms. He credits his parents for his ability to balance both.

“I have really been able to balance it mainly because my parents really put a strong emphasis on the academic side of life as well,” he said. “I definitely say that the base my parents provided was academics first, athletics second."

Brewster baseball coach Ed Mulvihill said Brynes was raised well, and that the Bears alumni never missed a practice. He is not surprised that Byrnes has excelled both in the classroom and on the field.

“He’s a very mature kid,” Mulvihill said. “... He puts the emphasis on the right things. He knew school was important and he was the kid that budgeted his time ... He worked hard all the time."