So another season ended yesterday, but it's never really just another season. It is a journey that includes so much more than competing against opponents on the field. A season is like an adventure with a group of guys who are all in it for like reasons, to have each other's backs and to succeed in reaching common goals.
This season and this team were similar to past seasons and past teams, only different. As is the case every year, this particular group of guys have only one year together. Eight of them graduate and move on, and next year some new players will join the core group of returning players. This isn't anything new; it takes place every year for every team in America.
This season was filled with success. Some people didn't expect this team to be as good as it was, due to the graduation of several of the league's top players last year. Personally, I expected nothing but success and expected to compete for the NCAA DIII National Championship. The fact that we were eliminated from the Mideast Regional Tournament on Friday means that we will not win the National Championship, but by no means was the season a failure.
We can measure success in many different ways. This was a team which was among the DIII statistical leaders in several categories, such as batting average, slugging percentage, scoring, triples, earned run average, pitchers' walks per game, and strikeout to walk ratio. But those statistics are not what made the season a success.
Several individual team members set or broke team and MIAA Conference records as well, in hitting and pitching categories, and five guys were named to the Mideast All Region teams. But that really isn't what made this team successful.
This year's Adrian College Baseball Team won 37 games, setting a school record and giving this senior class the most wins of any class in Adrian Baseball history. It also won it's fourth straight MIAA regular season championship and became the first ever MIAA Conference Tournament Champions. Successful? Yes, but not due to on the field performance.
The great success of this squad has more to do with a group of college student-athletes who cared about the team more than they cared about themselves. They were friends and mentors, teachers and students, companions and warriors. They put the team ahead of themselves and nurtured positive relationships with each other. They trusted each other and knew that when they stepped on the field for practices and games they were going to help each other improve as teammates and as players.
Most importantly, they gave everything they had for each other, and expected nothing in return. By expecting nothing in return, they were rewarded with a lifetime of brotherhood and memories. For that reason, they were so very successful. I congratulate them and love them!!
This season and this team were similar to past seasons and past teams, only different. As is the case every year, this particular group of guys have only one year together. Eight of them graduate and move on, and next year some new players will join the core group of returning players. This isn't anything new; it takes place every year for every team in America.
This season was filled with success. Some people didn't expect this team to be as good as it was, due to the graduation of several of the league's top players last year. Personally, I expected nothing but success and expected to compete for the NCAA DIII National Championship. The fact that we were eliminated from the Mideast Regional Tournament on Friday means that we will not win the National Championship, but by no means was the season a failure.
We can measure success in many different ways. This was a team which was among the DIII statistical leaders in several categories, such as batting average, slugging percentage, scoring, triples, earned run average, pitchers' walks per game, and strikeout to walk ratio. But those statistics are not what made the season a success.
Several individual team members set or broke team and MIAA Conference records as well, in hitting and pitching categories, and five guys were named to the Mideast All Region teams. But that really isn't what made this team successful.
This year's Adrian College Baseball Team won 37 games, setting a school record and giving this senior class the most wins of any class in Adrian Baseball history. It also won it's fourth straight MIAA regular season championship and became the first ever MIAA Conference Tournament Champions. Successful? Yes, but not due to on the field performance.
The great success of this squad has more to do with a group of college student-athletes who cared about the team more than they cared about themselves. They were friends and mentors, teachers and students, companions and warriors. They put the team ahead of themselves and nurtured positive relationships with each other. They trusted each other and knew that when they stepped on the field for practices and games they were going to help each other improve as teammates and as players.
Most importantly, they gave everything they had for each other, and expected nothing in return. By expecting nothing in return, they were rewarded with a lifetime of brotherhood and memories. For that reason, they were so very successful. I congratulate them and love them!!
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