Tyler Larguinho Commits to D1 Lincoln Trail College Statesmen in Illinois

by Jim Stewart

Titans 18U Outfielder Tyler Larguinho committed to Lincoln Trail College Statesmen, an NJCAA Division 1 school in Robinson, Illinois.  The Vaughan, Ontario resident became the tenth Titans player to commit to a post-secondary destination in the last five weeks when he signed his letter of intent. Larguinho’s post-secondary baseball dreams were realized on Saturday:  “I committed to Lincoln Trail College because it has been a goal of mine for the past 5 years to play for a D1 JUCO. After doing my research and learning about the school, I knew it was the place for me. They have extremely impressive placements over the years, and I know they will be able to get me to the next level of my baseball and academic career.” Academics were a key part of the appeal of Lincoln Trail College:  “At LTC, I will be studying sports management. I’ve been interested in this field of study for the past 2 years now and when I found out they have the program, I was thrilled.”  

The appeal of living, studying, and playing in the USA was evident in the St. Joan of Arc CHS student’s planning:   “I am looking forward to just focusing all my time and energy on 2 things while I’m there:  Baseball and School. I loved visiting Illinois while I was there for tournaments over the years. Now that I get the opportunity to live and study there, it is amazing. Playing D1 JUCO has been the goal for the past several years now and now that is has come to reality, it’s time to put in the work.”

 “The best memory of the 2020 season was being able to take the field for the first time since my surgery. It felt so good getting out there in between the white lines knowing my coaches and teammates are out there by my side. When I’m on the field in a Titans uniform, I have 8 brothers that want to achieve the same goal as me: to win.” Larguinho’s gratitude also extended to the Titans USA College Placement team of Lawrence Vera and Denis Bailey: “After getting into contact with Coach Bowers, the Titans were able to get into Contact with him as well and they knew this was the school for me. The recruitment video they made for me helped Coach Bowers draw interest in me. He saw my skills and my potential. Coaches Dennis and Lawrence helped me throughout the process and made it easier for me and my dad. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

18U Titans Coach Alex Crocco offered his insights into his diligent, hard-hitting outfielder: “Tyler has been an absolute pleasure to coach. In the few short months of the Fall season, his leadership qualities blossomed. I have the utmost confidence that those skills, combined with his baseball IQ and prowess, will carry him at the next level.”  To get to that next level, Larguinho offered these points of advice to the younger Titans: “Work your tail off! Nothing is given, everything is earned. Whether it’s on the diamond, in the weight room, or classroom, you need to put in 100% effort all the time. Another thing I would say to younger Titans is that you need to be mentally tough. When you are faced with adversity, how you handle it will show what you are made of. You need to love the grind. You need to want to finish that last rep, finish running that last pole. Want to be better than the guy beside you because at the end of that day you and only you are gonna be able to get you to the next level. You are at a terrific baseball club. There is a great coaching staff that is always available for you;  take advantage of it. All the tools for success are in front of you. Now it’s just up to you to put in the work and want to be great.”  

Inspirational words, indeed!  Congratulations, Tyler, on fulfilling stage one of your Division 1 US College dreams by signing with the Lincoln Trail College Statesmen.