Change is one of the toughest things humans encounter over the course of their lives. Often it’s for the better, but even then, uncertainty is never easy to deal with. Chris Hacopian not only changed colleges this summer, but he also had to learn a new position on the baseball field. No matter the situation, he’s made sure to tackle everything with a positive attitude.

Hacopian attended University of Maryland for the first two years of his college career, less than 30 miles away from where he grew up. He had the opportunity to play with his older brother, Eddie, for both of those years. The two siblings were extremely close growing up, and that didn’t change as they grew older. Not many people can say they played organized sports with their brother, but the Hacopian brothers didn’t take it for granted.

“It was really cool playing with him because it felt like when we were kids playing with a ball together. When I was playing third base or shortstop and he was across the field at first base or second base and my parents were watching in the stands,” Chris said. “I compare it to when we're out in the backyard playing together with a ball and our parents are watching through the window. It felt like we were kids playing the game we loved.”

As most younger brothers do, Chris looked up to his older sibling. He admires Eddie and got to learn from him throughout those two years at Maryland.

“It was great to have Eddie because he's a really good mentor. The way he plays the game is inspiring. Learning from him and watching him compete the way he does and grind was inspiring,” Chris said. “Not many people believed in him, but he believed in himself, and I was able to learn from that. It motivated me a lot.”

Coming off a monstrous season at the University of Maryland, where he drove in 61 runs with a 165 wRC+, Hacopian entered the transfer portal. His .502 on-base percentage and microscopic 7.6% strikeout rate led him to be one of the top prospects in the portal. He drove in 103 runs with 29 home runs at Maryland.

“Leaving Maryland was one of the toughest decisions I'll ever have to make. I have some of my best friends there, and I love the coaches,” Hacopian said. “I love the people there, and it was not easy to leave them. It was for reasons that I thought would really challenge me and put me in the best position as a baseball player.”

The transfer portal process has changed a lot with the new rules about Name Image Likeness (NIL) brand deals. Nonetheless, a good support system helped Hacopian through it.

“The transfer portal process was weird, but I was blessed to have a really good team supporting me and helping me through it,” Hacopian said. “It was chaotic, but I only did three visits. I narrowed it down to the schools that I thought checked all the boxes on my list.”

After a lot of research and discussion, Hacopian chose to attend Texas A&M University for his junior year of college. A&M, whose coach, Michael Earley, came to watch Hacopian with Yarmouth-Dennis (Y-D), didn’t make the NCAA Postseason in 2025. They made several additions in the transfer portal and will look to make the trip to Omaha next summer.

“I ended up choosing A&M because of the people and coaches there,” Hacopian said. “They’re a staff that will give you everything that they can give you.”

Eddie Hacopian played for Y-D coach Scott Pickler at Cypress College, which is a big reason that Chris said he came to Y-D. A unique aspect of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and summer baseball in general, is the constant roster turnover.

Y-D was not immune to this, losing players left and right due to several different reasons. Because of these constant new lineups, Hacopian started playing first base. It wasn’t a full-time transition, but a way to get him increased versatility before the upcoming college season.

The infielder played 15 games at first base, with 20 games at third base. Learning a new position is hard enough off the field, but doing it throughout the Cape League season presents a unique challenge.

“I still have goals of being a shortstop on the left side, and I believe in that. The coaches at A&M also know that I’m going there to play that side,” Hacopian said. “Whatever coach puts on the lineup card, I have to be ready to go and perform. I enjoy playing different positions on this team because it makes me a better baseball player. Learning how to play first base gives me a new perspective of that side of the diamond.”

He appeared in 36 regular-season games with the Y-D Red Sox, posting a .258 average and .697 OPS. It was a quiet start to the summer for Hacopian, who had just a .229 average in his first 21 games with the team. Slumps are inevitable, but they can still get into players' heads rather quickly. He was still hitting the ball hard, but it felt as if every line drive went right into the opponent’s glove.

“There’s always swing adjustments to be made. I’m still working on them, because I’m nowhere near perfect. I never will be, so I have to keep grinding. Everyone goes through scuffles. You’re going to have a stretch where you slump. Those stretches are good to have because they teach you something,” Hacopian said. “You can always learn from slumps, whether it’s what works or what doesn’t. That’s the great thing about this league — it’s not easy, and guys struggle. If you look at it from the right perspective, you can learn a lot from it.”

In his final 15 regular-season games with Y-D, Hacopian had a .290 average and .778 OPS. He looked like himself again, with five multihit games in that time. It was around this time that Y-D started to heat up, with Hacopian being a main catalyst. As the season went on, he continued to improve as a player and form new relationships.

“I can genuinely say that I’ve met some of my future best friends on this team,” Hacopian said. “If you can have the perspective of cherishing relationships and trying to grow every day as a player and a person, the grind is fun.”

One thing that has stayed constant through the struggles and grind of the summer league season is Hacopian’s faith, which he mentioned was a crucial aspect of his life. The game of baseball is all about your success and others' failures, but he likes to take a different approach.

“Jesus Christ should be your everything. He should be the center of your life. You’re not defined by your results on the field,” Hacopian said regarding his faith. “You’re defined by your identity in Christ, which is much easier said than done. Faith is so important because it gives you a true identity and purpose in life.”

Not as important as faith, but still a big part of his personality, those who know Hacopian off the field are aware of his affinity for Wendy’s, with that love growing stronger this summer. Red Wilson Field, home of the Y-D Red Sox, is only a mile from the nearest Wendy’s. This meant that after several home games, he made the trip to acquire chicken nuggets with a chocolate Frosty and fries (which he dips in said Frosty, as all people should).

“My host mom has been clutching up and getting us steak and cheese after a lot of games,” Hacopian said. “Aside from food, I like the beach a lot. I like the outdoors and adventure. That’s one thing I love about baseball — it brings you to great places that give you a chance to travel the world.”

Throughout my several conversations with Hacopian over the summer, his composure stuck out to me. He was one of the few players who remained with Y-D all season long, and he always seemed to have a positive demeanor about him. Even during the low points of the season, he would smile and laugh with everyone. Whenever the team was joking around and playing little games before the first pitch, there was a good chance Hacopian was involved.

“If you’re not having fun while playing baseball, it’s gonna be a long season,” Hacopian said when asked about dealing with the ups and downs of baseball. “You gotta have a perspective where you’re able to grind through failure, which is much easier said than done. You have to take a step back and realize that you’re extremely blessed to play a game for a living.”