Local standout delighted by his Gaston College career choice

It'd be safe to say Evan Vandenbosch isn't your average Gaston College commuter student.

The Fort Mill, S.C., resident is in his first year on the school's baseball team after starting his collegiate career at Charlotte's Queens University.

But after pitching sparingly as a freshman for the NCAA Division I Royals of the Atlantic Sun Conference, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound left-handed pitcher has blossomed into one of Rhinos' top pitchers.

"I thought it was a great program," said Vandenbosch, whose Gaston College team opens its 2024 season on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a doubleheader against Guilford Tech at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park. "They've giving me a great opportunity so I thought they were the best choice."

How well has it worked out for Vandenbosch?

His play in the fall led to more recruiting attention and he was one of seven Gaston College players to sign to play at NCAA Division I schools when he chose Georgia Southern of the Sun Belt Conference.

"They'll determine my role when I get there," Vandenbosch said of Georgia Southern. "But you have to prove yourself everywhere you go. I'm hoping to be a starter."

A starter much of the fall season for the Rhinos, Vandenbosch attended Rock Hill's Legion Collegiate Academy and played for former South Point three-sport star Devon Lowery.

At Gaston College, Vandenbosch said he was simply looking for a new path after struggling to get opportunities at Queens.

"Things just didn't go well," Vandenbosch said. "It happens. So I decided to make a change.
"Here, the coaches accepted me and welcomed me in and have helped turn my career around. It's the best choice I could've made."

Vandenbosch joins a team whose roster is dominated by newcomers but has high hopes for 2024 after Gaston College's 2023 team went 50-13 overall and won Region 10 and National Junior College Athletic Association district tournament titles to advance to the World Series in Grand Junction, Col.

"Our goal is to go back to the World Series," Vandenbosch said. "We've got talent all over the field. A ton of talent pitching and hitting. And that's what we're working for every day we come out here."