Barrington resident Griffin Crain shared some exciting news on his Instagram account recently — the 15-year-old had verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Louisville.

Griffin, who is a freshman at Bishop Hendricken, actually committed just before Thanksgiving, but kept the news quiet for months.

“I didn’t want it to take away from hockey,” Griffin said. In addition to playing baseball, Griffin also skated as a member of Bishop Hendricken’s varsity hockey team and did not want his news to distract from the task at hand: trying to win a state championship. Griffin and the Hawks reached the state finals, but the series was canceled when a player from Mount St. Charles tested positive for Covid-19. State officials named Hendricken and Mount St. Charles co-champions.

Shortly after the hockey season ended, Griffin shared a post on his Instagram account announcing his verbal commitment to Louisville. “I’m honored and excited to announce my commitment to play Division I baseball at the University of Louisville,” he wrote, later thanking his family, friends and coaches.

Griffin said a video of him playing baseball made its way to Louisville’s head coach. The two spoke, and a short time later he made his verbal commitment to play for the Cardinals after high school. Louisville has one of the top college baseball programs in the country.

“They liked my swing and how I played the field,” said Griffin.

The second-oldest of four brothers, Griffin has excelled on the baseball diamond and hockey rink for years. A lefty, he was a dominant pitcher through Little League and demonstrated a smooth, but powerful swing. He plays for the Bay Sox program now, and spends the bulk of his time playing centerfield. But if you ask him what he loves most about baseball, the answer comes quickly: “I like to hit the ball. I love it.”

Griffin hopes to earn a spot on Hendricken’s varsity baseball team this spring, but he knows he has his work cut out.

“I’m going to try to play varsity — but they have a ton of commits,” he said. Hendricken is considered one of the premier baseball programs in the region.

Kathy Crain said her son has always loved baseball, ever since he was about 2 years old. She said he would walk around carrying extra gloves and a bat and ball, asking others to play baseball with him.

Griffin said he has enjoyed playing baseball in Barrington over the years. He said Barrington is a good baseball town and playing against other kids in Barrington has “definitely helped.” His younger brothers, Mason and Cullen, grabbed headlines about two years ago when they helped the Barrington Little League 12-year-old All-Star team reach the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Griffin’s older brother, Barrington High School senior Owen Crain, starred for the Eagles’ ice hockey team this winter and won the Hobey Baker Award for the school. But Owen might argue that the real high point of the BHS hockey season came when his team defeated Griffin’s Hendricken team 3-2 in overtime.

“My brother’s a great kid,” said Griffin. “He teased me a bit.”

Griffin said his family has played a key role in helping him succeed in baseball. His dad, Tom, and mom, Kathy, both played sports while at Brown University. And his dad often coached his youth baseball teams.

“My dad is my number one coach,” he said. Griffin added that he would often stick with his dad around following Little League games to take more swings, or track down fly balls.

“I like hockey,” he said, “but I like baseball more.”