At the plate and on the mound, Billerica’s Soren Hanson has put together a stellar career on the baseball diamond at Colby College. As a senior, the Belmont Hill graduate is a team captain. And he’d like to become one of the few players out of the New England Small College Athletic Conference to play pro ball. Last spring, he was a first-team all-NESCAC selection after hitting .348 while compiling a 5-1 record with a 3.08 earned run average. The 6-foot-2 Hanson earned conference player of the week honors Week honors on March 28 after hitting .450 — five of his nine hits were doubles — during a spring trip to Arizona and throwing eight innings of shutout, four-hit ball in a 9-2 decision over Williams.
A mathematics major with a minor in Chinese, he has a backup plan just in case.
Q. There’s a month left in the season, and graduation is in May. What happens next?
A. I sure hope this is not the end of baseball for me. I’ve worked really hard the past two summers. Playing on Martha’s Vineyard with the Sharks in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, trying to do everything I can to get to the next level. I haven’t really talked to professional teams, but I have a track record of success over the past two years and I’ve been increasing my velocity and I’m praying I get noticed. [Colby coach Dale Plummer] has been putting my name out there with guys he knows. He’s always been very supportive.
Q. How do you assess your pitching?
A. I throw a fastball in the upper 80s, maybe 90 now. I throw a changeup, curveball, slider. I throw a four-seam and two-seam fastball. My curve is 12 to 6. It starts high and breaks straight down and has a lot of movement.
Q. Have you always been a pitcher first, fielder and batter second?
A. I was primarily a pitcher when I came into Colby. Freshmen year I just pitched and sophomore year I started to play both ways, more as a designated hitter when I wasn’t pitching. When I’m not pitching now, I play first base, which has been awesome. I get to play every day.
Q. Do you prefer pitching?
A. I enjoy every second of playing first and every second at bat. But pitching’s been my passion for a long time. I like the part of it being the batter and me, the one-on-one battle. Each result shows who is better in that moment. I definitely enjoy that part.
Q. The highlight of your Colby career thus far?
A. In high school I was kind of a troublemaker. I needed attention and was just kind of a miscreant. When I came to Colby, the staff was real supportive and I had a great connection with coach Plummer and the assistant coaches. They made me feel real comfortable and gave me the confidence to start growing into myself as an individual. I guess that’s my biggest memory and favorite memory, honestly, figuring out who I was as an individual. Especially now after being elected as a captain. It’s rewarding to be looked at by your peers as a leader when only a few years ago in high school I might have been one people looked down on a little bit.
Q. What’s the plan if baseball doesn’t work out?
A. I have a job. If I don’t play baseball, I’m going to China in August for 10 months to teach English. Over the past year I feel like I’ve had a calling to go to China. I definitely have a passion for the language, the culture and the people.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from a coach?
A. Coach has been stressing two key words with us this year: resiliency and relentlessness. Every time I take the mound I have those words in the back of my head. If someone makes an error or I walk a guy or I give up a home run, I always have the next pitch. That’s why I love being on the mound. You’re always in control. They’re waiting for you to throw the ball and as long as you stay resilient and relentless out there, you can have success.
ALLEN LESSELS
For full interview go to bostonglobe.com/north.
