--Dan Guttenplan

Chris Sharpe knew he was Division I college baseball player before anyone else — back when he was a senior at Burlington (Mass.) High in 2014.

Sharpe didn't have the grades to play Div. I due to a learning disability that went undiagnosed until his senior year. He also didn't have a Div. 1 offer due to a skill set that still was developing.

What he did have was the guts to call UMass-Lowell coach Ken Harring and sell him on the fact that he was, indeed, a Div. 1 talent.

"He originally was going to Salem State, and he called me up," Harring said. "He said, 'Look, I'm a Division I player, and I want to play Division I baseball.'"

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