Owen Silliman: A Hometown Kid

By Andrew Nowel, Sports Reporter

A journey from the classroom to the baseball field can take many turns, but junior Owen Silliman has found his way out to left field where the Canisius baseball team continues to utilize his stellar defense and his offensive abilities. As his first season at the Division I level continues, Silliman has turned into the Griffs’ Steven Kwan, a leadoff hitter with defensive prowess.

Silliman played at Iroquois Central High School and lettered for the Chiefs in three of his four years. He was coached by experienced baseball minds which helped him to develop into the player he is today.

“I was able to play under a seasoned and experienced coach, Chris Snusz,” said Silliman Thursday. “Snusz has a very decorative past as a former professional player. I was also coached by RJ Proulx who has spent many years in WNY baseball and Alex Seifert who was a former Division I baseball player at Jacksonville University.”

He began his collegiate career at SUNY Niagara where he continued to play under experienced coaching with all three of his coaches having extensive baseball backgrounds. Coming home to Buffalo was an extra special moment for Silliman as he would get to play for his hometown team.

“Being a Buffalo native, I was fortunate enough to play on the Demske here and there growing up,” Silliman said, reminiscing about growing up in Buffalo. “Overall, it has been a smooth transition to the Demske full time, through constant repetition.”

In his first season at the highest level of collegiate athletics, Silliman has begun to experience the competitiveness of Division I baseball. “The Demske's odd dimensions give myself and my teammates an advantage when playing other teams,” he explained. “Adapting to it and practicing on it every day made me feel comfortable which helps us perform better at home.”

The leadoff position is a prestigious one in baseball, as it normally holds the best hitter on the team. This isn’t the player with the most power or most homers; it is the player that gets on base in any way they can.

“I’ve always enjoyed leading off,” Silliman said when asked about earning the top spot in the batting order. “I think that being bumped up to the leadoff spot has given me some more confidence which has been able to translate over to games. My ability to steal once I get on base has also been beneficial because I can get myself into scoring position. Pressure is a privilege and my success in that spot just comes from my coaches believing in my abilities.”

“We treat every day as a new opportunity and as a time to get better,” Silliman said. “We are focused on what’s ahead and winning the day no matter what. What happened in the past is the past and we can’t allow that to have any impact on our future. We’re all ready and excited to compete and attack the rest of the season.”

After falling to the Stags in all three of their games this past weekend, the Griffs return to the diamond on the road against the Marist Red Foxes Friday through Sunday. They will then head down to Olean to take on Little Three rival Saint Bonaventure on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Joe Lehrman