MaxPreps Student Section.Brian Christensen, a 6'1" 160 pound senior shortstop and pitcher at
California Lutheran (Wildomar, Calif.) High School, has established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the diamond. He has been a key piece in what has become a winning machine at Cal Lu. The team has won 31 league games in the last three years. The team celebrated their first undefeated Arrowhead League championship last season with a 13-3 win over La Sierra Academy on May 11th. Brian sat down during a study hall to answer some questions about the past, present, and future both on and off the baseball field.
Brian Christensen
Courtesy of Robert Faust
The CLHS baseball team lost only two seniors from 2010's league championship squad. Brian feels "their void can be filled easily" thanks to several new faces along with improvement from last season's underclassmen. Brian's favorite baseball memory at CLHS is "going undefeated in league [2010]." Brian has had a love for the game of baseball for many years. When asked what sparked his interest, Christensen said, "at night when I was six or seven years old, I could see stadium lights from the local baseball field and I knew from seeing the lights that I loved the game immediately."
Christensen is grateful for his Little League coach of four years who "taught [me] how to love and respect the game and taught me everything I know on the field." Brian really admires Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees because "he was able to work his way up through poverty [and] able to persevere through all the trials to become one of the best players in Major League Baseball."
Brian plans to attend Bethany Lutheran College this fall in Mankato, Minnesota where he will major in communication. Brian also plans on playing baseball for the Vikings of Bethany. College baseball will be an exciting experience for Brian which will bring new and more intense competition. When asked about adjustments he might have to make, Christensen said, "I'll have to get used to the fast paced game and faster pitching." Brian hopes to graduate with a degree, begin a successful career, and establish a firm foundation for his future in the next few years.
Brian has been voted by opposing coaches as one of the best players the Arrowhead League has to offer since he was a freshman. Christensen earned second team all-league honors as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior, he was a first team all-league player and named the league's Most Valuable Player. The C-Hawks are in CIF Division 6 for baseball.
In 54 career games played over three years, Brian has a .448 batting average and has scored 71 runs. He has also driven in 77 runs and has 37 career stolen bases. Christensen reaches base often; he has a .516 career on base percentage. Brian has two, four hit games in his high school career, including a 4-5 game April 29, 2010 against California School for the Deaf, Riverside in which he drove in six runs, scorched two doubles, and a run. Brian also had an impressive game April 19 of 2010 against Hamilton of Anza where he crushed his first career homerun to deep left field.
Brian has been impressive on the mound as well. He has a career 11-3 record. In 99 innings pitched, he has struck out 113 batters and given up just 87 hits. Brian has a very respectable 3.36 earned run average. In 2010, Brian allowed a mere 6 earned runs in just over 36 innings, pitching his way to a 7-0 record. Brian has been a staff ace for his ball club, pitching at least six innings in a game nine times, most recently a win against league foe Upland Christian Academy on April 19, 2011. Christensen has pitched many memorable games, but what stands out most is a stretch of games he pitched in 2010, his junior season. Over a span of six games from March 31st to May 11th of 2010, Brian allowed one earned run over 25.1 innings while also earning five wins, striking out 40 batters, and walking just 8 opposing hitters.
Brian Christensen has been a key cog in this new winning machine at Cal Lutheran. He has been named the team captain as a sophomore, junior, and senior. His strong play is contagious, which is apparent at any C-Hawks practice or game. Brian is an avid fan of the New York Yankees, and his impact on his team could be compared to that of an eleven time MLB all star shortstop on that New York ball club that goes by the name of Derek Jeter. Christensen will look to lead his team in the final months of his senior season to another league title in the very competitive Arrowhead League.
