Loving the way his mom would, S.C. man charts a course to the major leagues

Nothing is impossible, but it’s still a pretty good bet that Chris Singleton, of Charleston, S.C., isn’t ever going to play Major League Baseball.

The centerfielder for Charleston Southern University batted .276 with four homers this season. Those aren’t exactly eye-popping numbers for an outfielder. But Singleton has other things to focus on, too. He has to care for his younger siblings, Camryn and Caleb, because two years ago tomorrow, Dylan Roof executed their mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, and eight others in a church in an effort to start a race war.

It didn’t work, partly because of Chris, who had something to say the next night.

“Love is always stronger than hate,” he said. “So we just love the way my mom would and the hate won’t be anywhere close to what the love is.”

“This year, he was a typical junior in his draft-eligible year. They put pressure on themselves and he was no different. I told him, keep swinging, keep being athletic and let people see what you are all about,” his coach, Stuart Lake, tells the Charlotte Post and Courier.

And he was right. The Chicago Cubs saw what he was all about and today, with the 585th pick in the baseball amateur draft, the Cubs selected Chris Singleton.

(h/t: Paul Tosto)