CHICOPEE, Mass. — When Don Morse played high school baseball for Massabesic, he said he thought daily of playing into his college years, and hopefully, making a name for himself.

While he thought repeatedly of his baseball future, he said he never dreamed it would turn out the way it has.

Morse, a senior at Elms College in Chicopee, Mass., is on the verge of finishing his career as one of the school’s best hitters.

Last year, he set the single season RBI record with 38, and this season, he is currently batting .371. He batted .315 last year.

“I just wanted to play baseball,” said the Alfred native. “I love baseball, and it’s my favorite sport. It feels good to be playing like this.”

During Morse’s senior year at Massabesic High School, he said he considered playing for St. Joseph’s College, Husson and UNE.

That all changed, however, when Elms College approached him about playing for the Blazers.

He had never heard of the school, but it gave him an opportunity on which he couldn’t pass.

“Coming into my freshman year, they had only had a baseball program for two years,” Morse said. “The coach said I would be a starter right out of the gate, and I couldn’t pass that up.”

Before leaving for college, he told his parents that he wanted to leave his mark on the young program.

Leaving that mark started slowly as he experienced growing pains during his freshman year ”“ batting .189. He said he learned from that season, and the following year batted .305. As a junior, he hit .315.

“He’s a great left fielder,” Elms coach Nathan Bashaw said. “He’s a big kid, and offensively, he’s hit the ground running the past two seasons.”

Individual success has come Morse’s way, but he said he is more concerned about the team’s playoff chances.

The club made the New England Collegiate College conference tournament his freshman year. It failed to qualify in his sophomore and junior seasons.

This year, however, the team is 12-18 and 8-6 in the conference, which has it in the fourth and final playoff spot.

“This year, I feel like our team is good enough to win the conference championship,” Morse said. “It would be an honor to earn a spot in the NCAA regional where we would play teams such as St. Joe’s and USM.”

Morse’s season might be over before the playoffs begin, however. On Friday, he hurt the middle finger on his left hand sliding into second base. He will find out Wednesday if it is broken or dislocated. If it’s dislocated, he will be able to play in the playoffs, Bashaw said. If it’s broken, then his season would be done.

“We’re hoping for the best,” Bashaw said. “He is very important to our team and to our success.”

While Morse doesn’t want to miss any playing time, he said he is looking forward to his future after playing for Elms.

He was recently named to the American International Sports Team baseball squad, which will play for two weeks in Germany from late June into July.

Morse said he looks at it as an opportunity to continue growing as a player.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “When my coach sent me the email about it, I jumped on it. It’s an honor, and I will be able to get my name out there and maybe something will happen from there.”

— Contact Al Edwards at 282-1535, Ext. 323.