Starting at age five, baseball has played a prominent role in Senior Dante Bosnic’s life. The fourth-year Berkeley varsity baseball player recent committed to Brown University, where he intends to play next fall.

Q: What was your first reaction when you found out you got accepted at Brown?

A: Getting the offer was huge. Going to Brown means that I get the best education and I get to play baseball, the sport I love. My original goal for playing baseball was to get the best education and be able to play. It’s pretty amazing; I’m going to a new school and at the same time I get to do what I love.

Q: What would your advice be to other athletes who want to play for colleges?

A: Always put academics before athletics, no matter how big a game it is. Always make sure you give your best effort in academics before your athletics. If you want to be a college athlete, you have to dedicate yourself to the sport you want to play. There’s just so many other kids out there competing for the same athletic spots in colleges; all you really have to do is play better than them.

Q: Describe the best baseball game, in your opinon, you had during your high school baseball career.

A: Last spring, we had the baseball district championship versus Tampa Catholic. I started the game and went all seven innings and I didn’t give up any runs. I also gave up four hits. It was huge for Berkeley and me because we beat Tampa Catholic and won the district championship.

Q: What excites you the most about Brown University and why?

A: The education. I mean, Brown is one of the top 10 schools in the country. Brown is also redoing all their baseball fields so now they’re going to look like a stadium with 500 seats and a turf field. I think I’ll be part of the first team to play on it when I play next fall.

Q: Who would you consider your role model and why?

A: My mom, because she always did the best in her academics and also was the head cheerleader and class president. She sets the example for me and pushes me to get better.

Q: What is the hardest thing about playing baseball?

A: Keeping your composure. There will be times on the field when you feel like you just want to give up, like when you make an error or give up a winning run. Keeping your composure helps you fight through those difficulties and be successful.

Q: How do you manage to balance practicing baseball with doing schoolwork?

A: The night before a game, I’d get my work done 1-2 days before. One thing that kept me going was I knew that if I kept my grades, it’d help me earn my scholarship. My mom would always say if you get your work done, then you don’t have to worry about anything. I basically just did my homework whenever and wherever I could.

Q: Any last words?

A: I would say that no matter what you do, whether its athletics or academics, you should give your best effort because you never know where it will take you.