Senior Spotlight: Chase Call

In just his senior year alone, Chase Call was named to the All-Big West Second Team, the Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament Team, broke the school’s All-Time career home run record, and took on a crucial leadership role that helped the UC Irvine baseball team earn the 2025 Big West regular season title. While his accomplishments on the field as an Anteater prove to be impressive, they’re not the only thing that defines his time at UCI. The memories and lifelong friendships formed over his four years have made walking away from Anteater Ballpark a sad and difficult task, but the future is bright for Chase Call. 

Chase has been playing baseball since he was four years old and cannot remember a time where his life didn’t revolve around the sport. He was surrounded by a family with a love for baseball and was practically born with a bat in his hands, which made the game stand out among countless other sports he tried as a kid. 

“Baseball has been my life, for my entire life,” Chase said. 

Chase had the opportunity to play baseball with both his older and younger brothers during his three years on varsity at Calabasas High School before becoming an Anteater. Like any other kid, he had aspirations of playing professionally. When it came down to choosing a school that could make his childhood dreams a reality, UC Irvine stuck out as a top choice. But what set the program apart from the rest that sought after Chase was the coaching staff. 

“I really liked how young the coaching staff was, they were all very relatable,” Chase said. “It was clear how much they cared about us as players and as people; I knew that Irvine was the right place for me.” 

On April 1, 2025, in a 16-7 win over the University of San Diego, Chase hit his 26th career home run, which set a new all-time Anteater record. While being the home run king is an impressive feat, Chase’s favorite part of holding the record isn’t seeing his name atop a list of ‘Eater greats, but the friendly banter with competitor and teammate Anthony Martinez. The mental pressure of attempting to break a school record may seem daunting, but healthy competition between friends helped keep Chase’s eyes on the prize. 

“There was a race between Anthony Martinez and I over who was going to reach it first,” Chase said. “I really wanted to break the record at home and I knew it was gone off the bat, but my favorite part was getting to see Tony at the plate and getting to joke with him a little.”

Chase’s impressive list of accolades during his senior year didn’t stop there. He also took home his first career Big West Field Player of the Week (April 26), was named to both the All-Big West Second Team and the Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament Team, and played a major part in leading the team to the 2025 Big West regular season title. 

Even with his long list of accomplishments, Chase is most proud of his leadership abilities and role as a mentor. After losing several key players that led them to a 45-14 record the previous year, the team welcomed 20 new Anteaters, and Chase made it his goal to show the ropes to the newcomers. 

“I put a lot of pressure on myself in the beginning of the year to make this team resemble the one from last year, or make it even better,” Chase said. “There was blood, sweat, and tears the entire fall, but we did a lot of team bonding to get us where we are now, and I’m proud that we pulled everything together.”

But Chase wasn’t just a leader for his teammates this year, he also joined the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and became a key advocate for the Meet the Moment Referendum. After head coach Ben Orloff approached Chase about becoming a student volunteer, he gladly took on the task and was excited to be more involved on campus. 

“It was really cool getting to meet people from different kinds of sports and learning other people’s perspectives on things,” Chase said. “It was an amazing opportunity to work with everyone involved and get out on campus more, it was just a great experience the entire time.”

For someone who has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember, it could become easy for him to forget who he is outside of the game. Being able to separate Chase the person and Chase the baseball player has been difficult, but he’s vocal about his struggles in hopes of helping other athletes. 

“I was struggling a lot on the field and that would spill over into my relationships off the field, and it was just eating me alive,” Chase said. “You lose yourself in the game to the point where it becomes your identity, and it’s not healthy.”

He has done a lot of work to get to the point where he is at today, both as a player and as a person. It has taken countless hours of reading, therapy, and thinking for Chase to recognize his value outside of the sport that has consumed him for most of his life.

“I found it fascinating that I learned so much about myself throughout all of this,” Chase said. “I’m not just a baseball player.”

Being an Anteater hasn’t just allowed Chase to further develop his baseball skills, but has also provided insight on how to improve himself beyond the field. He values the important lessons he has learned and will carry them with him even after he accepts his diploma this weekend. 

“Baseball has really helped me recognize that everyone’s not the same,” Chase said. “People are from different areas and have different things that are important to them, and it’s helped me understand how to be patient and appreciate that people think differently.”

Despite all the individual success that Chase has had during his time wearing an ‘Eaters uniform, his favorite memory has been having a front row seat to his teammates’ and friends’ accomplishments. 

“I’ve met a really good core group of friends and we have a lot of good memories here together, whether it’s playing cards or being on the baseball field,” Chase said. “But my favorite memory was being able to celebrate the success of Woody Hadeen and Nick Pinto at Woody’s draft party last year. It’s awesome to see my friends work so hard and accomplish their dreams.” 

Former Anteater Woody Hadeen was selected in the sixth round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2024 MLB draft. Chase’s close friend has been a big source of inspiration to him, and he considers him one of his biggest role models. 

“I don’t think he knows how much I look up to him but I think he does everything right on and off the field,” Chase said. “He’s a great person and a big role model for me.”

Chase has cherished his four years as an Anteater, but sometimes he found himself focusing too much on the future and forgetting to enjoy his collegiate career. His biggest advice to young athletes is to embrace the moment, and worry about the future later. 

“During my freshman year I was constantly thinking about the future instead of just being present in the moment,” Chase said. “It’s important to really enjoy college baseball and focus on the positives because there is nothing like it.” 

As Chase prepares to accept his degree in Public Health Policy and leave his collegiate career behind, he has his sights set on two possible career paths: professional baseball player or orthopedic surgeon. 

“I would love to get drafted and continue playing baseball, it's been my dream forever,” Chase said. “But the backup plan is medical school and an orthopedic surgeon career.”

Chase couldn’t be more grateful for his time at UC Irvine, and while he’s excited for his very bright future, it’s hard to leave behind something that he loves so much.            

“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else and I don’t know how I’m supposed to leave Irvine,” Chase said. “I love this place and I will forever be a proud Anteater.”