PennWest student-athlete finds huge success with viral TikTok

14 seconds was all it took Chad Helwich, a freshman at PennWest California, to load the bases in a viral TikTok posted by ESPN on November 3, 2023, which received over 180,000 likes. For comparison, it takes the average professional baseball player 16.7 seconds to round the bases, making his feat that much more impressive. Helwich owes his incredible speed in part to his childhood and his family.

“I was always fast as a young boy, running around and competing with my older cousins,” Helwich said. “But I think I got that from my dad and my grandfather.”

While baseball is his primary sport and the one he will play at PennWest California, Helwich also played deck hockey growing up, which added more physicality and quickness to his skills.

“I've played baseball my whole life, but I also played deck hockey for about 12 years,” Helwich added. “Deck hockey is a lot of running and aggressive, similar to regular hockey. I like to say my speed comes naturally, but through a lot of hard work.”

Helwich played this game with the Pittsburgh Hardball Academy and expressed what the Pittsburgh Hardball Academy stands for.

“Our organization is called Pittsburgh Hardball Academy,” Helwich said. “They take inner-city kids and underrepresented youth and put them in the spotlight, similar to suburban kids and big organizations.”

Now at PennWest California, Helwich is excited to not only play baseball but also continue his education. He has bonded with his teammates and is looking forward to the challenge the year will bring.

“I'm very excited to be here at Cal,” Helwich said. “I'm the first college student in my family, and making my family proud definitely gives me a lot of motivation to start the new school year. I'm really excited to play baseball at Cal. I've built good relationships with my teammates and coaches, but most of all I'm excited to wrestle and compete with my teammates.”

Helwich is also actively preparing for the baseball season and has a message for Vulcans fans.

“I've been training all summer and now we're heading into the fall, so I'm really looking forward to bringing that speed to the baseball field this spring,” Helwich noted.

Students will be able to see Helwich play in the spring as the freshman athlete brings his speed to the field. We wish him the best of luck in his first year at PennWest California!