After spending a season playing for Niagara County Community College of the National Junior College Athletic Association, Aiden Colangelo planned to return for another season. But, after representing the North Baseball team for the European baseball tour, everything changed.
“While being overseas there were a lot of OCAA and OUA players that were on the team as well. Seeing the playing ability they presented, I decided to start applying to schools in Ontario when I returned home,” Colangelo explained. “Within 10 minutes of reaching out to current head coach Aaron Wideman, he called me. We had a good 30-minute conversation about the school and program.”
The playing experiences of head coach AJ Wideman and assistant coach Jordan Wideman attracted him to the Huskies program.
“The coaches had a great baseball experience background, which made me believe that I would be able to improve my playing abilities,” he said. “At the time, I already knew a few players on the team, and they would always tell me how the team was and what it was like there, which also attracted me to join the baseball team.”
In his final season, Colangelo was one of the best hitters in the OCAA. He ranked fifth in the OCAA in batting average (.439), fifth in hits (18), seventh in RBIs (15), and fifth in doubles (five). The first baseman also was outstanding in the field, posting zero errors throughout the 2021 campaign. He was a significant reason why the team made the OCAA Provincial Championship for the first time since the inaugural men’s baseball season in 2013.
He finished his career at George Brown College with a .361 batting average, 30 hits, 24 RBIs, 14 walks in 29 games. Despite his success on the field, Colangelo learned how critical off-the-field success was.
“Baseball has always been a huge priority to me, but once I started taking it seriously, I realized that you can become a student-athlete and school comes first no matter what,” He explained. “I was able to balance my classes by making sure I completed work before heading to practice or emailed my professors if I had to leave class early or miss a class for baseball. In addition, approaching my professors and explaining the situation that I was in was very easy. They would fill me in on any important information that I missed.”
After taking sports management for a couple of years, he decided to enroll in the business administration program.
“I decided to enroll in the program for my love of business and the ability to use the field of study in many different situations and job opportunities in the future,” he said.
Colangelo is on pace to graduate from the program this spring. As he moves into the next chapter of his life, being a Husky will always be a special place for him.
“Being a Husky was not just something that was carried around for me, but it gave me a chance to continue the tradition and passion the previous members of not only the baseball team but all of the teams had for the school,” he said.
When asked what advice he would give to a future GBC student, Colangelo kept it simple.
“Make sure the field of study you are getting into is something you enjoy and are passionate about,” he explained. “This is something that you will be doing for work in the future, and it is something that will be with you until you retire. Do not rush when picking a school. Instead, do research on the school and the program that you are interested in.”
