By: Kasey Salamie Southland Vikings Contributor. One of the most important positions on the baseball diamond is the catcher. Catching could be the toughest position on the field both physically and mentally. It’s imperative that your catcher has a high baseball IQ. For a team to be successful the catcher must act as a on the field manager. The catcher has to study the lineup of their opponent and know the weaknesses of each hitter. On top of all of that your catcher must contribute at the plate as well. Viking’s catcher Kuris Duggan fits the perfect mold for a catcher. He has a rocket arm to go along with a strong bat. His hard work and dedication to the game of baseball has earned him a spot at the University of Dayton, a Division I baseball program. Duggan is excited for this opportunity at Dayton. “It feels great to be going to University of Dayton to play baseball. I have dreamed about playing Divsion I baseball my whole life, and there is no better feeling knowing that your hard work has paid off. It’s a very exciting experience, but a very humbling one at the same time. I attribute most of my success going back to my little league, where I not only had the best instruction at Flossmoor Baseball, but I had the best Coaches around me. I believe today a good Park District really gets the kids interested, and sparks a love and a passion for the game of baseball like Flossmoor Baseball did for me,” says Duggan. Duggan has had a lot of success in the game of baseball and he is very humble about it. He attributes most of his success to the coaches he has played for from Little League to where he is now. Duggan is eager to start playing for his new coach at Dayton, coach Vittorio. “I am very excited to play for Coach Vittorio, I want to step in and contribute as much as I can from day 1 and help the Flyers bring home a Atlantic10 Conference Championship, and play deep into the NCAA Tournament. Coach V is an “old-school” Coach, much like my JUCO coach, Steve Ruzich, which I like a lot. I model myself as an old school, hard nose, run through a wall type of player,” says Duggan. Every team needs a player like Duggan on their squad. He is an intelligent ball player and has that drive for the game that will help him succeed in Division I baseball. Duggan does not want to go to University of Dayton just to play baseball. “I chose UD not only because I have an excellent chance to compete at a high level of baseball, but because its a very high profile academic institution, that I feel will ready me for the real world, and set me up for nothing but success,” Duggan explains. Kuris will be studying pre-medicine at the University of Dayton. Duggan has a bright future ahead of him both on and off the baseball field.