Owen J. Roberts junior attackman Batdorf commits to Hobart

By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/3/10

Owen J. Roberts junior attackman Kohl Batdorf has made a verbal commitment to play NCAA Division I lacrosse at Hobart College.

Batdorf collected 47 goals, 40 assists and 88 groundballs and earned First Team Pioneer Athletic Conference and Honorable mention Phillylacrosse.com honors last year, while helping the Wildcats (19-2) win the league title and advance to the second round of the District 1 playoffs.

Batdorf said he also considered Army, Navy, VMI, Bucknell and Lehigh. He said he is leaning toward majoring in education and becoming a History teacher.

“I visited campus on Saturday and hung out with the coaches all day,” he said. “I visited practice in the morning. I really liked the tradition they have and the coaches are great.

“I’m interested in history and I’m good with kids, so I feel I’d like to be a teacher.”

Batdorf, who also was a two-way starter for the OJR football team, likes the aesthetic beauty of the Geneva, N.Y., campus.

“It’s a great experience up there,” he said. “I’m big into hunting and fishing, and Lake Seneca is right on campus. I love being around snow and I love all the buildings.”

Batdorf, who plays for the Mesa Fresh 2011 club team, played in the Philly Lacrosse Showcase in November (earning selecton to the Fab Forty team) and the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association Showcase in June.

At Hobart, Batdorf will join Lower Merion defenseman Jake Eisenhard (currently a Hobart freshman) and Conestoga goalie Peter Zonino (senior signee).

Batdorf now is focused on preparing for the 2010 season. The Wildcats return several key players from a squad that went undefeated in the PAC-10 and lost only to Lower Merion (9-8) in the regular season. He is hoping the team can go deeper into the playoffs this year.

“I have high expectations for our team,” he said. “I think we can go pretty far and hopefully make it to states. We have to work on moving the ball faster and getting more possession time, fighting for groundballs harder, and just moving the ball around.”