I hate goodbyes, especially when it is involving a baseball program and University that has made such an immense impact on my life. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to play baseball here at Saint Mary’s. I will hold the experiences and people that I have met along this 4-year journey close to my heart after graduation. Baseball has always been something that I have cherished throughout my life and love every aspect of the game, even if sometimes (70% of the time) it does not go my way. It is not only a game that brings a team close together as one unit and one brotherhood, but it also forces one to overcome failure. This aspect of the game is extremely tough on anyone who plays, but it offers the opportunity for one to grow and adapt to be successful on the field and in life. Playing baseball has played a large part of who I am as a person, and saying goodbye to it will be difficult. Nevertheless, I feel so lucky to have had the chance to put on the Red and White and to play with a group of guys, from freshman to senior year, that have made my four years here unforgettable.
I would first like to thank my parents, Len and Sandy. You guys are the best. Your love and support throughout my life have made my 22 years the best a kid could ask for. You guys are always there for advice and guidance and I do and forever will appreciate that. A kid could not ask for better parents than you guys. My baseball career, and life for that matter, would be non-existent without you two. I love you both so much and you deserve all the thanks in the world.
Dad- You have been there since square (or diamond) one in my baseball career. From playing catch in the yard to coming to nearly every one of my hundreds of baseball games throughout the span of 20 years. You have taught me so much about dedication and hard work and I can’t thank you enough for your support on and off the baseball field.
Mom-I know sports are not your forte, but you have stuck it out and have supported me through countless innings of boring baseball. You mean the world to me and words can’t describe how much I look up to you. You are always great at putting things into perspective and making me push myself to be the best person I can be. I love you!
Alec (the abundance of nicknames for you are not appropriate for a senior salute so Alec will have to suffice)-I am so thankful to have you as a big brother. You have made growing up so much fun (bruises and fights not included) and I can’t thank you enough for being there for me for advice and support. You have been the one person I look up to most and I appreciate everything you have taught me and done for me throughout the years. If I turn out to be half the man you are I would consider myself lucky. You definitely still need work on your golf game though. Love you bro!
To my family-Grandma Ruth- your love of baseball has always inspired me. Thank you for all the support and following my baseball career throughout my life. Grandma Pat- you have been so supportive of me and full of wise advice throughout the years. Thank you so much for everything, especially your amazing cooking. I love you both so much.
Duane and Nancy-you guys have been the best God parents and have done so much for me over the years. Thank you and I love you. Uncle Mark and Auntie-I miss you guys a lot and am so thankful for the times I do get to see you. Thank you for everything. To all my other family members, you have helped mold me into the person I am today and I love every one of you.
Ellen-Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. Thank you so much for putting up with my nonsense. You are a saint. I am so happy I was able to meet someone like you, because you have made this senior year so memorable. You are so supportive in everything I do and make me so happy. We have had some great memories and hopefully many more to come!
Coach Winecke- It has been a great experience playing for you for these past four years. As a senior this year, I feel special to be one of the first seniors you will graduate since getting the job as head coach. You have taught me so much about the game of baseball and about life and I really appreciate your guidance. I know sometimes I can let my emotions get the best of me, but you have done a great job on not letting me fly off the handle (as in only a couple thrown bats and helmets a year). As a coach, you have pushed me to become the best baseball player I could be and I will be forever grateful for that. Your passion for the game has rubbed off on not only me, but the rest of the team as well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to play for you and allowing me to have the best college experience a student-athlete could ask for. I know that after graduation I will miss everything about this program, including the dynamic warm-up and the 116 poles before practice. Just kidding. Words can’t describe how thankful I am to have you as a coach. I know that if you continue to inspire future Saint Mary’s baseball teams the way you inspired me, this program will have endless possibilities.
Coach Jake- Working with you and the pitchers these past three years have been extremely memorable. You know exactly what to say to get everyone fired up and ready to kick some a#@. You have taught me so much about how to handle a pitching staff as a catcher. Watching you transform raw pitchers at the beginning of the season into a staff of MIAC hurlers never ceases to amaze me. You have made this experience so fun for me and I am so thankful to have you as a coach. Keep working the pitchers as hard as you do and take this program to new heights!
Coach Rob- I absolutely loved you as a catching coach this year and wish you would have been around since my freshman year. Your hard-nosed attitude and honesty has helped me realize how important it is to grow up and be a man as a catcher behind the dish. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to help make this team, and specifically, the catching staff successful this year. What kind of protein do you use because I want to be as jacked as you someday?
Paul, DJ Pauly D- You have been one of my best friends these last couple of years and even a better roommate this past senior year. We have had so many memories and I am going to miss seeing your shining face every day. I know baseball has taken a lot of time out of my schedule, but thank you so much for getting my back countless times on homework assignments I was not able to finish. I owe you big time buddy. Thank you for being there if I needed anything and being one of the nicest, down to earth guys I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know.
Geraghty, Gerda- Well, this is it man. You have been an awesome teammate these last four years and can always put a smile on my face. Your unorthodox style of play keeps me wide eyed but you always seem to get the job done exceedingly well. I loved getting to know you over the years and I hope the good times continue to roll over the summer when I come visit the Windy City. However, you live there so they should call it the Dusty City. Thank you so much for making this experience so much fun on and off the ball field. Cheers!
Maxxxy, Fergy, Waka Flocka- We have been through a lot together and it was an honor catching alongside you. Your ridiculousness reaches new heights every day, leaving everyone laughing. You will be an awesome teacher one day. Thank you so much for helping me stick out the endless blocking and throwing drills. The chicken fingers you supply the team with everyday is much appreciated also! I think everyone can agree on that. It has been a wild ride and thank you so much for making the grueling job of catching so much fun.
Servy, Serve-Piece, Serve-Poop- You probably know more about me than I do myself. I absolutely loved you as a brand partner and catching alongside you these last few years. I am going to miss it so much. You helped me push myself to beat your 1.6 second Domingo Ayala pop time and was always good for a quick laugh, even on “Crabby Curt” days. I did my best to do the same on “Crabby Serve” days. You better work your tail off over the summer and into next year to lead this team to a championship.
Vincent, Binny, Vin-Dies- I have been a teammate with you since Nam and I am thankful for every minute of it. You have brought this team so much swag and continue to be the coolest kid I know. I can always count on you for great walk-up song recommendations because you are the encyclopedia of good music. You have been a strong leader of this team and will no doubt continue to be. Thank you for being such an awesome teammate Bin.
The Pitching Staff- It has been an honor catching each and every one of you. All of you guys have great individual strengths that, together, have made us successful this year. You guys work as one unit and has kept us in ball games all year. Teddy,Teddies-you have developed so much since your freshman and is no coincidence that you are MIAC pitcher of the week as I write this. You have the ability to be really special and have inspired me to give 110% every play behind the dish. Krone- To be honest, you probably scare the majority of hitters you face by not only truck sticking them when they run down the line like an NFL linebacker, but also the cold stare you give before pitching the ball. Keep developing yourself and the sky is the limit for you. Biagini, Bia, Beeg- your physic and prowess on the mound is that of a Greek god which intimidates any hitter. I had a lot of fun working with you and thank you for all the laughs, “OOOhhhh Yeaaahhhh, OOOhhhh Yeaaaahhhh.” Minder-I am glad you got out of that duster school Gustavus and played for a real team. You have been a valuable asset this year and it was good getting to know you. Nord-Keep that arm angle where it is at and keep throwing off hitters like you do! DeBruin- You are by far the nicest kid on the pitching staff and it was great catching you. Your stuff is nasty so keep chucking man. Reegs, Krysiak, Merkle- You younguns are the future of the Saint Mary’s pitching staff so don’t let me catch you slacking off. Keep working hard and lead this team to some championships in years to come!
The Dustbunny Room (Krieger, Poptart Paul, Edholm)- You guys are by far the most ridiculous combination of kids on the team. I don’t think I could go one day without having you guys throw something at my window or surprising the team with some antic. It was awesome getting to know you guys these past couple years and I know that you will contribute to making the Saint Mary’s baseball experience a treat for years to come. Poptart-I am going to miss your bullying and doing the Kirby drill with you (my god was that funny). You are an awesome teammate. Kricker-I could go on for days but you are one of the funniest kids I know and I will start saying “OOOkkaaaaayyyyy” sarcastically at stupid comments people say even after graduation in your memory. Edholm-“Hardeeerrrr!!!” Ya know, I don’t need your comments from the outfield, okay? Haha. Keep being a bearded musky.
Tessmer, Tezzy- You are always good for a laugh when I come out and shag balls with you in the outfield. Some of the sarcastic comments that come out of your mouth take me a while to get but are absolutely hilarious when I do. Keep developing yourself into your senior year and you will be a huge part of this team’s success.
Shlemm, Tree-You are by far the biggest kid I have ever known/seen. I think someone said you are twice as large as Dwight Howard? Is that true? You have the potentially to do really special things and I loved playing with you. I think that ball you hit at St. Olaf may be orbiting planet earth as we speak. It was the farthest ball I have ever seen hit so thank you for that. Best of luck in life and at the plate my man.
Mikey, Dueces- You are an all around great guy and I feel lucky to have had you as a teammate. You are extremely mild tempered on the baseball field and that is something I envy. I still don’t know how you are faster than a cheetah in its natural habitat. It was fun seeing you fly around the bases. Goodluck!
Gannon, Jared, Ghost- It was great getting to know you this semester and am glad you came back to American soil before I graduated. You are extremely overweight and I look forward to coming to yours and ghost’s wedding someday, haha just kidding (I can picture you saying “OOOkkkkaaayyyy” after reading that). But seriously... You are destined to do some really great things in this program and I know you will work hard to achieve success.
Thelemann-I am glad you are off the DL so everyone can see your potential! You are as smooth as a cat over at SS.
Merky Meyers- Every team needs someone like you. You always push people to be the best and are one of the best teammates someone could ask for. Thank you so much for making this team the best it can possibly be.
Wolfe, Wolf Pack-You are a man of few words but a great teammate. You have really developed into a great player this year and have helped the team so much with your success.
To the rest of the Freshmen-Drew-you come from the best high school in the world so way to keep the legacy alive. I have seen you develop so much as an infielder these past few months so keep up the good work! Barry-Keep twisting double plays like it’s your day job up the middle. You will be a great asset to this team in the coming years. Sanderson- You always have a smile on your face (and maybe some oreos). You have a great arm from the outfield so keep developing yourself!
A last personal thank you to Dr. Minnerath, my senior research advisor, for working with me even through the hectic baseball schedule. I am sorry for putting grey hair on your head. Thank you to Tim Tysk and Dan Stark for being the best of friends throughout high school and college. It has been a great ride and am excited for the next chapter. I am thankful for teammates who graduated before me including Andrew Warren, Chris Bogey, David Dahlstrom, Alex Schmidt, and John Swenson for showing me what it means to be a leader.Thank you to all of the people I have not mentioned around the Saint Mary’s community that have made this experience so fantastic. |
