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Enger Paulino. Photo by Thomas Netzer
Enger Paulino never envisioned himself playing baseball at Assumption University when he went to watch the games with family members as a kid. He was just going to the games and having fun.
But Paulino grew up and became a baseball player himself, and now that he will be at Assumption beginning in the fall, he couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else.
“I was with my older cousins and I really didn’t take baseball seriously,” said Paulino, a postgrad student on Putnam Science Academy’s baseball team. “I didn’t think of it as something I would do in the future until later. So at that time, I liked baseball and going with them was just something fun to do.”
“But I’m from Worcester; I grew up there, most of my family is in the area. This is where I am going to feel comfortable. I’ll be able to develop and not have to worry if my family is all right. I know a bunch of guys who go there now and tell me great things. There are a lot of different things that really make it seem like the best place for me.”
Paulino committed to Assumption in the fall but made it official last week when he signed his National Letter of Intent (along with PSA teammate Ryan Hines, who will attend CCSU) at an event in front of his parents and grandmother, plus PSA staff and students.
“In the moment, it didn’t strike me as a crazy thing,” Paulino said. “But when we were done, seeing my parents struggle to have words to say, it really hit me how big of a moment this is, not only for me but for my family. I’m glad I was able to share it with them and that I’ll be able to keep doing that going forward.”
When Paulino was 14, he had been taking the game seriously for a few years but saw there were a lot of kids ahead of him, both in terms of size and skill. But he started growing into his frame and became a lot stronger when he turned 15, and that’s when he realized that playing baseball could take him somewhere.
“I started passing kids who I had always looked at as really good players, and I started to become more confident in my ability and believe in myself more,” said Paulino, an outfielder and pitcher for PSA. “Knowing that very few high school athletes go on to play at the next level, it’s really motivating. It makes me feel proud of myself, but I know that it’s a privilege, so it makes me want to keep going forward and not take it for granted. I don’t want to be complacent with where I’m at, I know there’s always someone better out there. That’s always in the back of my head that I can’t stop.”
Hines, who never crossed paths with Paulino before this season, has been impressed from the first day.
“Enger’s just such a great leader, a great kid,” Hines said. “I love having him as a teammate. And his skills speak for themselves. He’s got the build of a Major League baseball player. He’s a big kid. His arm in the outfield is insane. He hits the ball extremely hard. His attributes are just crazy. He’s going to be fun to follow and watch develop.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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