It’s a sport with a storied tradition, one of the few that’s not bound by a clock, but it’s also been tagged for not evolving with the ever-changing sports landscape, a slow-paced sport that may not attract younger players.

Don’t count Whitehall senior Shane Fillman among those who view baseball as a relic of our pastoral past.

“It’s fun to me,” said Fillman. “So much goes into the game that it’s so mesmerizing.”

He enjoys all the nuances of the game, and his passion to play baseball will continue when he arrives at East Stroudsburg University next fall. Fillman will study exercise science, noting that ESU had one of the top programs in the country for that field of study, clinching his decision.

Fillman said that his major will allow him to stay involved in sports after his playing days are over, and that opportunity helped determine his career path.

He said that he visited the campus three times, and made his decision to attend ESU prior to his senior season. He said he had been looking at a few other schools, but his trip to their campus swayed his decision,

“I just fell in love with the place,” Fillman said.

Fillman, a middle infielder, said that he’s been playing baseball since he was 4-years-old, participating in Whitehall’s youth programs.

“I grew up on baseball pretty much my whole life,” said Fillman.

That participation eventually included the guidance of Kyle Shannon, a personal trainer who operates KSP Fitness Training in Bethlehem.

Fillman would have been penciled in as their leadoff hitter this season, a role he held last year. As a result of that cancellation, Fillman misses his “boys” as he refers to them. This year’s team had the potential of doing something special, and he was looking forward to getting out on the field with his teammates to pursue their goals.

He’s been playing with the same kids since those youth programs, and his time with the varsity will be forever etched in his memory.

“It was the most fun I had playing baseball,” he said.

He just wanted another chance to be out with his team again, hoping to make it to the district championship with his “boys.” He was an important cog in their lineup, a consistent table-setter who led the team in runs scored last season. He saw his role as just one part of the whole mix, and was optimist about what they could have accomplished this season.

“I just wanted to win as a team,” said Fillman.

The senior said reaching last year’s district championship game was the highlight of his high school career. He said that they were hoping to make it back with their eye on the same goal.

Fillman has been trying to stay physically active while school has been canceled, filling his time with lifting, running and hitting. He’s determined to stay sharp so he’ll be ready when he suits up for the Warriors.

Still, he admits he wants to get out and settle back into a normal routine. With the sudden upheaval of his senior year, Fillman said that his parents have been the source of some sound advice.

“They told me to stay positive and work through this,” said Fillman.

Fillman decided that to heed that advice, and will use this time as an opportunity to keep working and get better at baseball.

He also has to continue his school work, and while remote learning has been an adjustment, he said that they have enough time to get their assignments done before the due date.

The whole experience has been an adjustment, but he’s hopeful the next phase of his life will be rooted in baseball once again, something that’s always been a part of his life.