By Jacob Infald
COMMACK – As the July 11 MLB Draft approaches, 2023 Commack High School graduate Chris McHugh is preparing to have his dream realized and hear his name get called.
While the draft hopeful has played college baseball at the highest level and traveled across the entire country to play the sport, his roots will always be here on Long Island as he looks to represent his family, coaches, and teammates as he takes the next step in his career.
For the past two seasons, McHugh has been a force for North Carolina State University in the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC), one of the most competitive conferences in collegiate baseball. After transferring from Virginia Commonwealth University after a successful freshman season in 2024, McHugh has established himself as one of the top hitters in the ACC. This past season, he led the Wolfpack in RBIs, hits, and doubles, along with nine home runs.
This offensive production along with his 6-foot-3, 215 pound frame and ability to play both corner infield and outfield positions has put him in a position to hear his name get called at the upcoming draft.
“I would just go in there and just see ball, hit ball and I was good at it, but when you get to the ACC, if you don’t have a plan every time you go up you’re in trouble,” McHugh told The Messenger. “[NC State] helped me build a plan every time I got up there, so that’s probably the biggest thing I’d say mentality and approach-wise.”
What McHugh’s successful numbers don’t show, is the work he had to put in through middle and high school to become a Division I baseball player. From crippling arm injuries as a youth player that prevented him from pitching, to not having a growth spurt until the second half of high school, McHugh said his recruiting process was difficult as the majority of schools that he and his coaches reached out to were not interested. He said VCU was one of two Division I offers he received at the time of his commitment in late 2021.
Pete Kritikos and Paul Gibson III were two of McHugh’s primary coaches growing up. Gibson was the coach of McHugh’s travel team from when he was 12, up until the end of high school, and Kirtikos served more as a mentor and trainer for McHugh, being involved with his family for nearly 15 years from coaching his older brother Tim McHugh. Both Kritikos and Gibson are still involved in McHugh’s career, and Kritikos even flew down to Charlotte to watch McHugh play in the ACC Tournament this past spring.
“It’s big because [Kritikos and Gibson] know everything I’ve been through, whereas guys that just met me when I went to college, they don’t know what I was like when I was younger,” McHugh said. “So, having people that have seen me grow up, coached my brother, I trust a lot of what they say. They keep it real with me, so I’m blessed to have guys like that.”
Both Kritikos and Gibson told The Messenger that McHugh’s mentality is unlike other players that they have coached, and that is what allowed him to develop into a great player despite struggling with injuries and size growing up.
“He was more confident without being cocky and he was just a workhorse,” Kritikos told The Messenger. “He was a guy that just loved to play and loved to practice and would do it on his own all the time. Maybe he wasn’t always as clean, or he wasn’t always as polished as some other players, but you fast-forward as he gets older to putting on the size and strength he has now it kind of comes full circle, and it’s why he’s the player he is right now.”
As McHugh’s baseball journey has taken him across the country, he jokes that he always has to defend Long Island. McHugh said the majority of his teammates at NC State grew up down south, in warmer climates which allowed them to play in games year round to help their development growing up. This has led to many players looking down on Northern regions such as Long Island where the weather prevents players from competing during the winter months.
According to a post from MD&I Baseball Academy, players born in California, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, made up roughly one-third of the over 600 players drafted in the 2025 MLB draft. McHugh said he loves putting Long Island on the map and is looking forward to continuing to represent his home region at the next level.
“If there is someone to both vocally and physically represent Long Island, he’s someone who can really do it. He has that mentality that even when we traveled, he always had that feeling that he’s just as good, the team’s just as good,” Gibson told The Messenger. “I think we’re finding ways to bridge the gap with the rest of the country. Yes, we are limited to the number of games we can play with the climate, but these kids have found ways to be in the weight room, and be in pitching labs, having live at-bats inside against quality pitchers.”
On top of wanting to represent Long Island as a whole, McHugh also wants to represent his family, especially his older brother Tim. Tim was a standout at Commack High School, graduating in 2019 with a scholarship to play at Texas Christian University. Unfortunately, he ended up getting his scholarship pulled last second due to roster limitations. He ultimately struggled to find his way in collegiate baseball, struggling with injuries while playing at St. John’s and Florida International University.
“I’ll always say he was way better than I was in high school, but I just got the opportunity to play because I went to a mid-major,” McHugh said. “The fact that I’m able to do it for him, it means the world because he helps me so much. The fact that you may hear my name get called in the draft, and while that was his dream [too] that’s gonna feel pretty good.”
For Kritikos and Gibson, having players succeed at the next level is nothing new, but McHugh is special. Formally both coaching at Team Beast before branching out and founding MVP Baseball, Kritikos, along with Gibson are the two Head College Recruiting Advisors for MVP, and since Kritikos founded the organization in 2022, they have seen over 250 players commit to play baseball at the college level. Kritikos said he has had four former players get drafted, and each time he sheds a few tears because he considers all of his players family members.
“When I first started in travel baseball, [McHugh’s] family was one of the first families that came on board and they were loyal from the beginning so it’s definitely a little bit different,” Kritikos said. “You can’t help but get choked up, that’s a kid who is achieving his dreams and doing it the right way, staying out of trouble, he’s close with his family, is just a good person, and for me just being a small part of that, it’s amazing, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Last week, McHugh was invited to participate in the MLB Draft Combine in Arizona, as he got one step closer to achieving his dream of playing in the MLB. McHugh calls it a surreal feeling, as everyone dreams of making the MLB, but so few get this close.
“You just have to trust the process,” McHugh said. “If you’re 14 years old and you’re tiny, so was I. It takes time. I never thought I’d actually be here, but the fact that I am, I’m so blessed.”
