Cruz Zamudio of the Golden Eagles is on his way to the Colorado School of Mines to play baseball.

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Talk about choices for a new college.

Frederick’s Cruz Zamudio was accepted into the California Institute of Technology and earned a deferred acceptance to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The place he eventually picked? The Colorado School of Mines in Golden.

“Overall, it was the best fit for me academically with location and cost,” he said. “I have visited the campus many times for baseball and football games .. great upgrades with the football facilities recently.”

Zamudio played those two sports at Frederick. The Golden Eagles advanced to the second round of the state 3A playoffs last season. He gained almost 1,200 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Zamudio also caught 356 yards in passes and scored four touchdowns.

“Distance from home didn’t play into the choice,” Zamudio said. “But I know my parents like that I will be closer.”

Zamudio tore his labrum during the 2021 football season but didn’t know it was torn until December. After surgery and rehab, he got into eight games for the then-Warriors last spring and batted .368 with six RBIs.

“Yes, in general, there was a COVID impact with extra years of eligibility for a lot of players,” he said. The pandemic-caused rules caused a decrease in the number of scholarships that were available, too.

Zamudio wants to study engineering with a goal of a career in aerospace, perhaps even working for NASA

“I am excited to start a new chapter in my life and eager to learn new things,” Zamudio said.