Cubs draft Chris Singleton, son of Charleston shooting victim

Nearly two years ago to the day, Chris Singleton, who was drafted in the 19th round by the Cubs Wednesday, gave a “love is stronger than hate speech” on a local baseball diamond in Charleston, South Carolina.

“If we just love the way my Mom would, the hate won’t be anywhere close to what love is,” Singleton said on the Charleston Southern baseball diamond.

The speech came one day after his mother, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton was one of the nine victims in the 2015 Charleston shooting. Coleman-Singleton was participating in a bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston when Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, began shooting.

Chris Singleton shared a picture of Coleman-Singleton on May 14 paired with a tweet that said: “Missing you every second of everyday. I’m the person that I am because of you. Happy Mothers Day Ma, I LOVE YOU.”

The Cubs selected Chris Singleton on the third day of the MLB draft. The Charleston Southern outfielder just finished his junior season, where he started in all 51 games and recorded 18 steals, 38 runs scored and four home runs.

The Cubs brought Singleton to Wrigley Field for a workout last week and had the speedy, strong-armed outfielder projected as a top-10-round pick.

“Mature would be an understatement,” said Jason McLeod, the Cubs’ top scouting and player development executive. “His faith and religion are priorities in his life.”