Barry Buchowski said he’s always dreamed of playing college baseball in the south, waking up to temperatures in the 80s.
The St. Augustine Prep senior will get that chance.
A second team All-Courier-Post catcher last spring, Buchowski made a verbal commitment Wednesday night to attend Tulane University on a partial scholarship.
“When I visited Tulane, it was very warming and I was treated like family by the coaches and players,” Buchowski said. “When I first walked on campus it was like when I walked on campus as a freshman at St. Augustine.
“It’s on the rise. What the baseball team is doing right now was something that I wanted to be a part of. I want to be part of the team that wins its first national championship.”
Buchowski chose Tulane over Miami, Villanova and North Carolina State. The Green Wave finished 38-20 last season, 14-10 in Conference-USA.
He visited the campus in New Orleans last week.
A Moorestown resident, Buchowski has been a starter since his freshman season. He has 82 career hits, including 20 doubles and eight home runs to go along with 52 RBIs.
“It’s been a hardship, waking up early and leaving late,” Buchowski said. “But when you’re dedicated to something and believe in your school, you do anything to get the job done. I enjoy going to school (at the Prep) and the hour drive is not that big of a problem.
“I’ve been working hard for four years now. I hoped to go south to play baseball. It’s always been a dream to play in the warm weather and wake up to 82 degrees.”
A .375 career hitter, Buchowski is the fourth Prep player to make a college commitment. He joins senior pitcher Chris Oakley (North Carolina), senior shortstop Christian Adorno (Wilmington University) and junior first baseman Joe Gatto (North Carolina).
St. Augustine finished 19-10 overall last spring, falling to eventual state champion Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public South A final. As a sophomore, Buchowski was on the Prep’s Non-Public A state title team that finished 27-4 overall.
The Hermits are expected to challenge for the Non-Public A title again this season and are projected to be one of the top teams in South Jersey.
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