DIVISION 1 BASEBALL COMMIT — North Iowa Area Community College hitter Eli Anderson hammers a delivery during collegiate baseball action. The former Fairmont High School three-sport standout has made a commitment to play baseball for NCAA Division 1 program Purdue next season. (Photo courtesy of the Eli Anderson family)

FAIRMONT — Eli Anderson left the Fairmont Cardinals baseball program as a state champion in 2022 to chase his dreams and begin a collegiate baseball journey, with his first stop coming at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC).

He was an Fairmont Sentinel All-Area performer as a senior to go with the state hardware.

Since then, Anderson has switched positions and adjusted to the difference between the two levels of play.

“When I got to NIACC, the game was a lot faster and I had to start focusing more on getting base hits, getting to the ball quicker instead of my mindset in high school trying to hit the ball as far as possible,” Anderson said. “I played third base, catcher and pitched in high school — I had never played in the outfield, it’s a slower position mentally, but the ball comes at you a lot faster.”

Now Anderson is mentally preparing for another change in scenery, as he recently committed to play baseball for Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

When asked about the increase in pressure moving up the ranks, Anderson kept it simple.

“My dream has always been to get drafted or go D-1. A lot of goals and dreams change as we age,” Anderson said. “Now I’m just appreciating where I’m at because it’s pretty much a dream come true.”

So far, Anderson has produced well at the collegiate level. As a freshman at NIACC, he batted .378, with a .424 on-base percentage and a .513 slugging percentage.

As a sophomore at NIACC, he has kept his numbers consistent while improving in some areas and making the switch from the corner outfield to center field.

Anderson is batting to the tune of a .389 average, with a .414 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage.

Anderson tries to keep a level head and make sure he doesn’t ever put too much pressure on himself.

“I think in high school I focused more on being the best I can be and putting a lot of pressure on myself, now I’m trying to have more fun,” Anderson said. “Even after winning state I went home and cried because the season was over, I wish I had enjoyed it more and that can relate to all sports.”

Anderson also talked about some of the factors that played into his decision to play for Purdue next year.

He alluded to the improvement of the Big Ten Conference in baseball in recent years.

“I had some other schools interested and my goal was to go somewhere with a chance to win and have fun,” Anderson said. “With the addition of the California schools and Purdue playing well recently, the improvement of the conference has been on my mind. But the first goal is getting on the field and contributing to winning.”

Anderson doesn’t seem fazed at the idea of moving up the ladder of competition once more.

“At the end of the day, it’s still the same baseball field with a different name on my chest,” Anderson said. “The competition will be better, but it’s just another new challenge to go through.

“In baseball, you can mess up 70 percent of the time and still be good.”

Anderson has big league dreams and is well on his way. His numbers speak for themself and his mindset seems to be in a great place.

When asked about the possibility of accomplishing that life-long goal, Anderson didn’t mince words on how much it would mean to him.

“My ultimate goal is to get drafted, that’s been the dream since I was 4 or 5 years old,” Anderson said. “I want to play until I physically can’t anymore and I think that’ll lead me to getting drafted, and I think if I stay consistent in my mindset, it will remain a possibility.”