But nearly 25 years later, his 11-year-old son, Chase, is one-upping the old man.

Big time.

The Frewsburg Central School fifth-grader has been selected to the Baseball Youth All-American Games, scheduled for Aug. 8-11, at Grand Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

According to its website, the event is invite only and features hundreds of players from around the nation and the globe. Participants can expect to be placed on a teams with players from coast to coast against squads in their graduating class during pool and bracket-elimination play. In addition, every player will go through skill measurements to see how their numbers match up with their classmates.

Chase Haglund plays in the Frewsburg Little League and for the Erie Outlaws during the summer. Submitted photo

Based on how Chase has taken to America’s pastime, it’s clear that he belongs. A multi-positional player for the Erie Outlaws 11U Black Team, he also has met with considerable success in the Frewsburg Little League.

“Chase was pretty much born with a ball in his hand,” said Eric, a 1999 Frewsburg graduate. “I’ve had him hitting probably since he was 3 or 4 years old. … At a young age, he picked up pretty quick on the fundamentals of baseball.”

In addition to his travel and house league play, Chase takes hitting and pitching lessons in Erie and works out with his Outlaws teammates four days a week. Last summer, the Outlaws played in a Cal Ripken tournament in Aberdeen, Maryland and they reached the semifinals before being eliminated.

A four-tool player — his knowledge of the game, his speed, his arm strength and his hitting are, according to Eric, “not normal for 11” — Chase learned he had been chosen for the Youth Baseball All-American Games last week.

“We put a nomination in and sent them videos and action photos, and he got chosen and nominated to participate in it,” said Eric, who is a New York State trooper. “He was extremely, extremely happy and is looking forward to playing with other kids throughout the country.”

A fan of the New York Yankees, the oldest of Eric and Krystle’s three children also counts Derek Jeter as his favorite player.

“He’s just a good person,” Chase said.

And even though Jeter played his last game in pinstripes in 2014, Chase is very much aware of the talents the future Hall-of-Famer brought to the ballpark every day. In fact, Chase has a copy of Jeter’s scouting report hanging on a wall in his bedroom. Among the comments contained in it are the following:

“A five-tool player. … Will be a major-league starter for the New York Yankees.”

It’s a little too early to make such judgments on an 11-year-old from Frewsburg, but it appears that Chase has a bright future in the game. For not only is he passionate about it, but he also has considerable skills.

“He’s beyond where I was at that age,” Eric said. “That’s his mission, to always outdo me.”

So far, Chase is doing just that.