Player Spotlight: Joey Chitla

Joey Chitla, a redshirt freshman from Raleigh, N.C., has been a steady and consistent presence in the middle infield for the DC Grays this summer. 

Chitla first got into baseball through his uncle. He gave Joey his first glove and introduced him to his other passions of fishing and bowling. 

His family motivates him to keep playing baseball at higher and higher levels. Joey is grateful to have his family cheer him on and support him. 

On the field, Joey is a scrappy, smooth and quick infielder – somebody who can work counts at the plate, get on base and steal bases. It shows in the numbers, too. In 21 games, Joey is sporting a .418 on-base percentage, 10 walks to 11 strikeouts and six stolen bases. 

It is not just success in athletics that Chitla pursues. He also prides himself on good academics. A computer science major, he was valedictorian in high school and has set a high standard at the collegiate level. 

Joey spent his redshirt year at Wofford College in South Carolina. There he learned more about the game, got stronger and overall learned the process of collegiate sports. 

Prior to his summer with the Grays, he entered the transfer portal. He is looking forward to what new opportunities lay ahead and will make the most of them. 

"I am somebody who is going to be a big motivator on the field, and I'm going to help out the guys," Chitla said. "I'm going to do my part and whatever opportunities I'm given, I'm going to make the most of them."

This summer with the Grays has been an exciting and fun one for Chitla. Meeting new people and coming together with the combined goal of winning and playing as best as they can has been a great experience. 

"I just want to say thank you to the coaching staff," Joey said. "They're amazing and they've taught me a lot."