Baseball, Soccer
Favorite athlete: Bryce Harper
Favorite team: Philadelphia Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Senior night for soccer under the lights against Holy Ghost. Even though we lost, the atmosphere was crazy, and I had a blast.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sportS: Last year at Souderton, a certain teammate soiled his pants during the game, and the bus ride home was awful.
Music on playlist: Taylor Swift
Future plans: To continue playing baseball at Harvard University while pursuing a degree in data science or analytics.
Words to live by: “Be extraordinary not ordinary.”
One goal before turning 30: Write a book
One thing people don’t know about me: I play chess l
By Craig Ostroff
Callan Fang is finally back where he belongs … standing 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate.
For the first time since his freshman year, the Pennsbury senior will take to the mound this spring for the Falcons. It’s been a long and winding road for Fang, whose sophomore baseball season was cancelled due to the pandemic, and an arm injury relegated him to designated hitter during his junior year.
“It means a lot to be able to pitch again,” Fang said. “Last year, I couldn’t perform how I know I could due to the injury, so I’m super-stoked to go back out and compete. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The beginning of baseball season always brings feelings of hope and renewal, and Fang and his teammates have plenty of reasons to be hopeful this year. A senior-laden team with eight players who have already committed to playing baseball in college and coming off an atypical season in which the Falcons finished with a .500 record and missed the postseason, this year’s Pennsbury squad has the talent, experience, and motivation to make some noise in the league, district, and state.
Having the right-hander back to 100 percent will be a major piece of the puzzle. The team’s recent getaway to Myrtle Beach for some team bonding and a few preseason games showed Fang is primed and ready to go.
“We took it slow to make sure he was ready,” said Pennsbury baseball coach Joe Pesci. “We went down south to Myrtle Beach, and he was able to let loose a little. He was looking comfortable out there, his velocity was up – you could see his comfort level on the mound.
“Selfishly, I’m happy having him back and having several solid starters, but for him, to have that peace of mind to know he can go out there and pitch the way he wants to and make an impact and be healthy, I’m really happy for him.”
The Falcons have set some lofty goals, and Fang is ready to do everything he can to help the team achieve them. But he’s also looking forward to simply enjoying time spent with teammates and friends.
“We’ve got a solid group of guys, and we feel like we should be able to compete with anyone. I think we have a shot at a state championship,” he said. “We just got back from Myrtle Beach, and I had a blast down there. It’s my senior season, I want to go out and enjoy myself. Winning is fun, but it’s not everything. I want to enjoy the little moments with everyone together and hopefully we can do some good things.”
While his junior season didn’t go quite as he’d intended, Fang still made the most of his opportunities on the diamond. A sprained ulnar collateral ligament (which runs along the inner side of the elbow) and injured flexor tendons meant he had to shut himself down on the mound, but as the Falcons’ designated hitter, Fang proved to be among the most prolific hitters in the league and earned First-Team All-Patriot honors at DH.
Still, it wasn’t the season he had envisioned.
“Being able to play definitely helped. if I wasn’t able to play at all, it would have been much worse, so I was thankful I was able to hit and help the team,” Fang said. “Last year, the team struggled, and it’s tough being there DH’ing. It sounds fun being able to just go and hit, but being in the dugout for such long periods of time and when things aren’t going your way, it’s tough. This year I’m happy I’m able to compete on both sides. I want to do what I can to give my team a better chance to win.”
“We were hoping even if Callan couldn’t pitch last year we’d be able to use him in right field, second base, but it didn’t work out,” Pesci said. “But he still ends up first-team all-league as a DH. He was one of our top hitters all year. That says a lot about him and his ability to take deal with a setback like that and still find a way to contribute.”
This season, Fang and his fellow classmates will be counted upon to contribute in another way as well. The experienced senior class will be leading the way as the Falcons aim to take flight.
Fortunately, there’s a good mix of personalities among the veteran players.
“I’m naturally on the quieter side,” Fang said. “I’m most comfortable being that quiet, reserved guy, but I know this year that asserting myself a little more might be necessary in some cases. We have a great group of guys. We’re all different, we have some leaders who are louder. We fit well together, we’re all willing to lead in different ways. We do have a good mix of personalities.”
“Callan is a leader in his own right,” Pesci said. “He’s a guy who fits in with everybody. He’s quiet, but he’s funny, he comes from a really good family. Obviously, he’s very intelligent and analytical, meticulous, and he’s very even-keeled, he never gets too high or too low. Having that personality on the team can be very valuable.”
Fang brought that personality to a new athletic arena this year. After giving up soccer in middle school to focus on baseball, Fang returned to the pitch in the fall to play outside midfield for the Falcons’ soccer team.
Though the team tied for third in the Patriot Division with a sub-.500 record, the number of wins and losses had no effect on how much Fang enjoyed the experience.
“My friends on the soccer team kept telling me, ‘Hey, come out and play,’” he said. “I always liked soccer, I like running around. I have not been keeping up with the skills, so I’m certainly not the best player, but I was there to support my friends and the team and I had a ton of fun.
“To be honest, I didn’t play much in the minutes that mattered, but it was fun to be with my friends and, when I got the opportunity to get on the field, going out and having a blast on the field.”
He’s also thoroughly enjoying simply being a student at Pennsbury, where he is a member of the Chess team, the Young Engineers of America, and the Future Business Leaders of America.
After all, when you’ve had parts of two school years affected by the pandemic and two spring sports seasons drastically altered, you come to appreciate the little things even more.
“Everything can change in an instant,” Fang said. “Sometimes school is not the most fun, but I’m enjoying the little moments with friends in the hallways, having lunch with them, things like that.
“I’m not looking ahead yet. I want to enjoy my time here. I’ve loved high school so much, I don’t think I want it to end, I just want to enjoy it. It’s crazy to think there are only a few months left.”
Nonetheless, Fang has a lot to look forward to. In the fall, he will head to Harvard University to play baseball and pursue a degree in data science or applied statistics … possibly. He admits that his field of study could change at any moment.
“Data science or applied statistics would be super-cool,” he said. “To be able to apply those on the baseball field with things like sabermetrics. Advanced data and tech in baseball would be a cool thing to do. As of now, that’s what I’m thinking, but that could change.
“Being able to compete in high-level baseball while getting a high-level education is something really special. I think Harvard gives students a platform to do great things. One of my close friend’s uncle went there to play, and hearing him talking about his experience, and the opportunities to change the world, it all came together. It was the right decision for me.”
Fang’s love of the game and longtime desire to play in college was sparked by his father, who also played college ball.
“I thought that was normal,” Fang said with a laugh. “My dad played college baseball, but I didn’t realize how big of a deal that was. I think I always figured it would happen, but I got really serious about it when I was 15. I made a travel team and that changed my mindset, too. Instead of just playing local guys, I was getting out and competing with better players, playing against better teams, and getting recruited to play in college.”
Fang was a pretty good ball player long before age 15, though. Among his many accolades was finishing first nationally in his age group at MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run competition in eighth grade, where he competed as part of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game festivities at Nationals Park (he also got to perform at Citizens Bank Park during the competition).
“That experience was crazy,” he said. “It starts as a local competition in little league. I had done it before, but in eighth grade, I moved on to the local level, then sectional, then team level at the local MLB stadium.
“I ended up winning there, but even if you win there, you’re not guaranteed you make it to national level. The top 3 of 30 made it to Washington, DC. Being able to get on that stage and perform, I’m grateful for that unique experience.”
Yet, despite having performed so well in a national event, Fang never let that competition define his idea of success on the baseball field. For him, it’s still all about being part of a team and having fun with his friends.
“Competing was fun and winning was amazing, but I love baseball and the game and how it’s played,” he said. “I don’t necessarily believe I need to accomplish great things to have a good time. I like going out and playing games. I like the team aspect. Individual awards are great, but team awards are the accomplishments that mean a lot more.”
In his final campaign in orange and black, Fang would ultimately like to find himself standing 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate at Penn State’s Medlar Field. And ending the season under a pile of celebrating teammates would be a pretty ideal way to say goodbye.
“The perfect end to this season would definitely be a dogpile in the middle of Penn State’s baseball field, winning the state championship,” Fang said. “This team can do it. I truly believe that.”
And once the current crop of seniors have hung up their cleats and many have moved on to playing college ball, Fang hopes the returning players focus on the things that make baseball great.
The little things.
“I hope the classes that come after us, I hope they remember what we brought to the table, not just baseball and what we do in games, but work ethic, character, little things like that,” he said.
“Our baseball program is pretty good, but it’s the little things that matter. As long as they come in, work hard in offseason, and do the little things right, we’ve got some good players who will be coming back, and I want to see what they can accomplish.”
