Chris Dennis, Centenary College, Baseball - Character & Community

CHRIS DENNIS OF CENTENARY COLLEGE, a junior outfielder on the baseball team from Shreveport, La., has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Character and Community Male Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning March 6.

The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.

See the video on Chris here: https://www.scacsports.com/awardsHonors/character_community/2022-2023/athletes_of_the_week/week_16_male

Baseball, as we know, is a game of statistics which are used to create a formula for success. Chris Dennis has his own formula for being a successful student-athlete on the baseball field and in the classroom.

A junior from Shreveport, Chris prepped at Evangel Christian Academy before coming to Centenary and joining the Diamond Gents.

"Being a college student-athlete is very challenging physically and mentally," said Dennis. "One thing I do to stay on top of my academics while excelling in baseball is spending just as much time studying as I do working on baseball skills, if not more."

"Also having a social life and support system like teammates, family and friends, and people you look up are very beneficial and helpful with balancing the two."

Chris is also very involved on campus, as he is currently representing his team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and volunteers with Junior Achievement as he visits local elementary schools helping children understand their rights as a civil citizen.

"I have also helped with new student orientation as a mentor for our incoming freshman and transfers. I love to be able to mentor students and give them advice on how to manage being a student-athlete, as it's who I am, and service is what my foundation is built on."

"The game of baseball has helped me off the field in many ways but one of the most important lessons that it has taught me is how to deal with adversity. Baseball is a very unpredictable game; the most talented or best team doesn't always win. You have to know how to deal with your highs and lows to be able to succeed. You simply can't get too high or too low in other words you must know how to take the good with the bad and build on them to be more consistent."

"My student life has benefited me in my baseball career by teaching me responsibility and accountability. You must be responsible enough to turn in your work and study on your own on and off the field. It has taught me to do my job which in this case is a student-athlete and being accountable so that my teammates and coaches will trust me to do my job on the field.

"It is an honor to be featured for the SCAC Character & Community Award," continued Dennis. "Lots of times people show small acts of kindness or serve those around them very well with little to no recognition, but I truly believe it is my calling to be able to serve others. So, it makes me smiile to be able to serve others. It is truly a blessing to be recognized for this award."