Photographs courtesy Cherry family
This Broadneck High School student-athlete is poised for success
The idea hit baseball player Avik Cherry like a screaming line drive off his bat. An overwhelming thought came to him early in his freshman year in 2024: change things he did off the field to improve significantly on the field.
It wasn’t like he was in a bad spot baseball-wise. The freshman already made a statement after earning the starting second baseman job for Broadneck High School.
Cherry was in awe of senior shortstop Calvin Cook, who holds several Bruins’ hitting records and went onto play at Division I Middle Tennessee State University. Cherry saw Cook as the ideal role model to work with, along with a couple of the Bruins’ top players in order to elevate his skills.
“Playing alongside Calvin was the most exciting moment of my life,” Cherry explains. “I was scrawny (5-foot-4, 135 pounds) during my freshman year and I really didn’t throw that hard. But I looked at him and the way he throws the ball across the diamond. I said, ‘If I want to play Division I that’s what I have to do.’”
Cherry pursued his goal with plenty of enthusiasm. It became like an obsession. He has worked on every part of his game during the season and offseason for the past 18 months. His workouts went from one hour to three hours per day.
To develop into Division I prospect, Cherry (now 5-foot-7, and 160 pounds) concentrated on improving both his fielding and educating himself about nutrition. He ate a lot more, increased his weightlifting, and the number of at-bats he took from a pitching machine. On top of that, Cherry participated in a velocity program to build up his arm strength and watched videos to make himself a better base runner.
He saw great results. Four months after his sophomore season ended, the 17-year-old verbally committed to Georgetown University for a baseball scholarship in September, turning down offers from University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Rutgers University.
Photographs courtesy Cherry family
Georgetown seems to be the perfect fit academically and athletically for Cherry, an Arnold resident. He wants to major in finance with an eye on becoming an investment banker, or a financial adviser. He carries a weighted 4.4 grade-point average.
“Georgetown was my favorite by a mile,” Cherry says. “The coaching staff was amazing. They just made me feel like part of the family. And I just fell in love with the campus. It’s small, so nice, calm, and serene.”
“He can field better than anyone I have ever seen in the middle infield (in 13 years),” Broadneck Baseball Coach Matt Skrenchuk said of where Cherry’s work got him.
He’s an elite offensive player, too. Cherry set a school record as a sophomore for runs scored (37) and figures to break some career records over the next two seasons for triples.
Last spring, Cherry hit .351 with 22 RBIs, four triples, 11 stolen bases, an .495 on-base percentage and 22 walks. Back in 2024, he led the Bruins in batting (.364) , hit three triples, stole 10 bases, and had a .500 on-base percentage.
Cherry’s individual game performances were just as impressive. In 2024, he smacked a triple and inside-the-park home run, finishing with three RBIs against Crofton. As a sophomore, Cherry went 2-for-2 with four RBIs versus Chesapeake had perhaps the game of career when he hit for the cycle and produced five RBIs.
“He was very influenced by the older players in our program since his freshman year,” Skrenchuk says. “He would take the initiative to join the best players on team to workout with and hit in the cage in the offseason. Now, he is more of a leader. He gives a lot of hitting lessons to elementary and middle school kids.”
Besides developing his skills at Broadneck, playing four years for the U.S. Elite showcase teams—including the U17 squad from June to November—has made him a better player. His teams travel up and down the East Coast to as far away as Georgia and Texas for high-profile tournaments. Advancing to the Wood Bat World Series in Florida highlights each season.
“We face the best pitching on the East Coast and we are trying to prepare Avik for the next level,” U-17 Elite Coach Jimmy Kittelberger says. “He is just continuing to grow as a player. He does everything the right way and is a great teammate.”
