Photo Credits: Marquise Pointer / Athletics Communications Student Intern
 
RYAN HAENN
Athletics Communications Student Assistant
 
If there's one player on the College of Charleston baseball team that has a unique story, it's Ari Sechopoulos (pronounced SUH-COP-UH-liss).
 
Born in Uruguay to a Greek father and a Canadian mother, Sechopoulos' father, Panos, did everything he could to keep his Greek family tradition alive with his children.
 
"From going to church to attending Greek school at a young age, my dad tried to keep Greek traditions in the family," Sechopoulos said. "However, it was never forced on me or my other siblings, we grew up with a very normal childhood."
 
When the junior first baseman was a toddler, his father wanted new beginnings for his family. The elder Sechopoulos settled his family in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, starting a new life, after leaving his construction business behind in Uruguay.
 
"It was a sudden move, and for a young kid, it wasn't anything crazy for me," he said. "But for my dad, it was probably the biggest decision of his life. It was a pretty smooth move. When we moved to Canada I only spoke Spanish, but it took me only a couple of days to pick up English."
 
It also didn't take long for Sechopoulos to gain interest in sports once he moved North. He first played baseball when he was just four years old during his first year living in Canada.
 
"It was just a sport to try," he said. "My parents never played and I just wanted to give it a shot."
 
From then on, his trajectory has only gone up.
 
The College of Charleston baseball coaching staff first discovered Sechopoulos at a tournament in Florida. For him, the decision to commit to play baseball at The College was an easy one.
 
"It took me all but one night to make my decision," he said. "I called the next day and committed."
 
One of the most memorable moments of his baseball career was competing in the 17-and-under Baseball Canada Cup and hitting homers in batting practice as a member of Team Ontario at Rogers Centre – home of Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays.
 
"Anytime you can stand on a field and look around at a huge stadium, it's unbelievable," he said. "There are thousands of seats in the stands and all eyes are on you, when easily you could've been in the stands watching just like them."
 
Currently he is one of best defensive first basemen in program history and known for his glove. He also boasts a .987 career fielding percentage and has hit 15 career home runs to date for the Cougars.
 
"Ari has great physical tools," CofC Head Coach Chad Holbrook said. "He has power, savvy and is a terrific first baseman. He is a baseball junky that just loves the game."
 
After his freshman year at CofC, Sechopoulos received an invitation to play for the Greek National Team. However, he would have to go through a process to become eligible to compete.
 
"They (Hellas Baseball) reached out to me my freshman year, but to be on a national team you need citizenship," he explained. "It wasn't until last summer, when I was invited on my first trip with the team to Ireland. I had to travel to Greece a few days earlier to obtain citizenship."
 
After being granted citizenship, Sechopoulos got his chance to play on the big stage. He described his international playing experience as being on a whole different level.
 
"When you're lining up on the lines, you have a flag on your chest and you hear your country's national anthem," he said. "It means something. You represent so much more."
 
Last summer, the Greek National Team finished second in the European Championship qualifier in Dublin, Ireland, and earned a berth in the 2019 B-Pool Championships qualifier.
 
Sechopoulos plans to continue to play for Greece, noting the team's main goal of making it back to the Olympics for the first time since 2004 – at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in 2020.
 
"Ari is just a great kid who is very passionate about the game of baseball," Holbrook said. "He is a tireless worker. He is all about the team and it's such a pleasure to be in the same dugout as him."
 
With his junior season in full swing and senior season just around the corner, Sechopoulos has his eyes set on the future. The accounting major and finance minor plans to achieve his MBA and CPA as well as continue to work on becoming the best baseball player he can be.