Senior Robby Enslen’s love for baseball runs in his blood.

His dad played and coached, his older brother plays at Cornerstone University and his mom and older sister have always been involved in the game too.

That’s why he calls baseball “an Enslen thing.” When his dad told him he has to have a passion in life, baseball became that passion for him.

Growing up in Middleville, Michigan – he remembers going to the field with his brother to practice, while his dad was coaching.

Enslen quickly became a stand-out player and college baseball became the dream.

When head coach John Musachio started recruiting him in high school, his talent wasn’t the only thing that drew attention.

“He’s an incredible young man from a fantastic family and that’s critical for people we recruit because character is of utmost importance,” he said. “Robby is one of the best character young men we’ve recruited.”

Musachio said their shared values of working hard, being unselfish and leading by example made Oakland a perfect fit.

He plays outfield and second base, but his favorite part of the game and where he succeeds the most is at bat.

Enslen knows how much work it takes to be a good hitter, but working hard is something he loves to do.

He is notorious for calling coaches during the week to get extra batting practice in, and he hits on his own almost every day of the week.

“You can’t make people do that – they either have that desire in them or they don’t. Rob is definitely a guy who has that passion,” Musachio said “He has earned all his success.”

Enslen was selected to the all-league first team and all-Mideast region second team last season after he led the conference in hitting and ranked in the top-10 for slugging, on-base percentage, hits, RBIs, home runs and doubles.

He holds the school record with a 32-game hit streak and the .378 batting average he finished with last season is the highest the team has seen since 2008.

He earned Horizon League batter of the week three times last season and this season, he earned Horizon League preseason player of the year.

But there’s one accomplishment that means more to Enslen than the others.

“My goal is to make my parents proud, because without them, there’s no way I’d be standing where I am today,” he said.

“I play for both my parents. They’ve always supported me in what I do and I’m truly grateful for that. They’ve helped me become the man I am today.”

He prides himself in his relationship with his family and cherishes the hours his dad spent training him and the lessons he taught him along the way.

Enslen will graduate in May with a degree in communication, and although he hopes to continue playing baseball, his other dream is to become a college coach so he can have an impact on players, just like his dad impacted him.

“At the end of the day, it is just a game. But the things that you learn about life just by playing a simple game are what’s most important,” he said.

 “I want to be known as someone who works hard and always gives 100 percent effort. If my teammates can say that about me, then I’ll feel like my baseball career was a success.”

The Grizzlies are 3-13 overall and 1-4 in league play this season, but Enslen is confident his team will turn the season around.

Individual accolades mean nothing to him – he wants to win and, more importantly, have fun during his final season as a Grizzly.