Since he could stand up, Co-Captain Jace Roossien ’24 has been committed to a life on the diamond. From playing the sport for over a decade to a history of baseball in his blood, Roossien has been a student of the game for a long time.
“I’ve been playing baseball for about 16 and a half years now. It has been pretty much ever since I could walk, my dad has had a bat in my hand. He played college baseball at Oklahoma State, and he was also drafted by the Mets out of high school so baseball has been in my family for a long time. It goes back even further since my grandfather played as well. It’s a family passion so I always have loved it and I’ve been playing my entire life,” said Roossien.
As a four-year ball player for Andover, Roossien has had many memorable experiences in the Andover uniform. His favorite memory on the team was the passing of the torch moment between him and the old catcher in his Lower Year after Andover won the championship.
Roossien said, “We brought amazing energy and had a walk-off win which is incredible… One of the captains that year was the catcher that I was playing behind. I had been watching him lead, and even now, I try to emulate the way he led the team because he was a special guy. Since I was playing behind him, I wanted to be a captain like he was and lead the team the same way he did. After we won that game, he turned to me and said, ‘It’s your team now,’ and that was something that kind of stuck with me. And ever since then, and even before it’s been a dream to be a captain, and I am enjoying fulfilling that role on the team.”
Since entering Andover as a Junior, Roossien has brought his best efforts to the team. Joe Carrera ’24 highlighted how Roossien interacts with the team.
Carrera said, “He’s so passionate about the sport. It’s obvious that he cares so much about the team and the guys on the team. Whether it’s mentoring Owen Callahan [’26], who’s a catcher, or just talking with guys on the team, he does his best to spread his knowledge of the sport with the team. Individually, Jace just leads by playing very fast and very physical all the time. So, in that way, he’s a leader through his grittiness.”
According to Liam Lennon ’25, Roossien uses his strong work ethic and talent to lead the team.
“Jace is a guy that leads through his play. He’s a very good catcher and a great baseball player in general. He is not a guy that is super vocal on the team, but when he does talk, he definitely makes sure to make sure you get his point across and typically ignites some type of fire or competitive drive in the team,” said Lennon.
Roossien will continue his baseball career next year at Boston College.
