Dec. 8, 2004

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Windsor's Chris Chagnon has a nice little routine before he goes to school. Instead of trying to sneak in a little extra sleep, Chagnon has already put in a grueling day before most of his classmates even wake up.

Chagnon wants to make baseball a career, but the one thing he had been missing was some strength to fill out his 6-foot-1 frame. The only way to change that was to wake up early for 5:30 a.m. workouts at Gold's Gym. Nearly a year of exercise and pumping iron has begun to pay off. Chagnon has added some pop on his fastball and after an impressive showing this summer has signed a national letter of intent to play baseball at Stony Brook University on Long Island.

Chagnon, a right-hander, followed up a 5-3 season for Windsor High this past spring with a strong impression during the AAU summer season and at baseball camps.

The added strength is what has caught the Stony Brook coaches' eyes. Chagnon was clocked as high as 91 mph on the radar gun at the Best of the East Showcase in West Virginia. During the AAU season he threw consistently in the mid-to-upper 80s.

"I have worked over the last summer in the morning and it has mostly been a football workout to get stronger," Chagnon said. "If I hadn't been working out then I wouldn't be where I am right now."

Chagnon, who has played for the Connecticut Blaze AAU team for three years, was spotted by Stony Brook this summer at an AAU tournament in Albany. Stony Brook was among a handful of schools that saw Chagnon, with Fordham also in the mix offering a spot.

Binghamton, Delaware, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and Vermont were also involved, but after making an unofficial visit to Stony Brook on Halloween weekend, Chagnon knew it was the place for him.

"I think it is a good atmosphere where I can fit in pretty well," Chagnon said. "It is a good program and it has good coaches."

Stony Brook is getting a power arm with a lot of potential. Chagnon doesn't try to hide the fact that he likes to bring the heat.

"I am a power pitcher," Chagnon said. "I try and throw it by them and see what they can do with my fastball."

Windsor High coach Jay Apicelli has seen the improvement of Chagnon and also what committing to a workout program can do.

"He gets bigger and stronger every year and works real hard in the offseason," Apicelli said. "He doesn't lose a lot from the first to the seventh inning. He is strong throughout the game."

Chagnon is also an experienced player. In addition to playing for Windsor, Chagnon has played American Legion and for the Blaze. As a member of the Blaze, Chagnon has played all over the Northeast and as far south as Coco Beach, Fla., and as far west as Norman, Okla. Those travel teams have given him the exposure and the confidence to compete with some of the top players in the region.

"I don't think I would (have been recruited) if I hadn't played AAU," Chagnon said. "It provides a lot of exposure and it kept me playing over the summer."

Chagnon still has a one more season at Windsor High before heading out to Long Island and he is going to make the most of it. The college scholarship is not the end for him, rather the beginning.

"I want to go there and help them win the conference as a freshman," Chagnon said. "I want to get stronger and throw harder, and hopefully get drafted after college."

It looks like those 5:30 a.m. workouts aren't going to end anytime soon.