Senior Eddie Barch has made his decision to play football next year at Baldwin Wallace.

Some of Barch’s main factors for choosing a school were academics and athletics. He said, “I had to make sure that I would get a solid education wherever I went because that is the most important part of college. I wanted a school that had very good athletic programs all-around and, most importantly, a great football program with good coaches, facilities, and team.”

One other school that Barch was looking at was Otterbein. He said, “I ultimately chose BW over my other top schools like Otterbein because I liked its location a lot better because it is closer to home and because it seems to have a better computer science program which will also take my credits from my Excel TECC class which most DIII schools do not.”

Barch’s father was his biggest influence for choosing Baldwin Wallace. Barch said about his dad, “He knows that I have a lot of potential in football and can be really good for the yellow jackets. He told me about the great times he had when he played college baseball and said that playing football at BW would be one of the greatest times of my life.”

Barch admits that there were some obstacles during his decision process. He said, “It was stressful responding to coaches all the time and wanting to say all the right things but also very exciting because you know that they want you on their team. It was also very stressful for me because BW and Otterbein were so close for my #1 spot so I had to decide which one I wanted to go to.”

Barch’s Excel TECC instructor Mr. Ron Suchy, thinks the Baldwin Wallace football program will be a good fit for Barch. Suchy said, “The football program at BW is very well-coached and is one of the most respected programs in the OAC. They have a fantastic football tradition and I have lots of respect for the coaching staff.”

One of the obstacles that Barch faced was having to choose between very good and similar schools. He said, “Another obstacle I faced was not being able to go on as many visits as usual because of covid which didn’t allow me to see all the schools I wanted to.”

Suchy believes that as a whole, Baldwin Wallace is going to be a great place for Barch. He said, “It will allow him academically to pursue his career and really put him in a great position, the internships are great, and the quality of their computer science and IT programs is maybe the best among smaller private universities. I really can’t think of anybody else who does it better.”

Barch admits that he is relieved to be done with his decision process. He said, “It felt great to know that I had finally found a home for my college experience and education and that I have a great 4 years to look forward to.”