Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

Writing these Senior Salutes are far from my favorite things to do at the end of the season. Not because I don’t like the Senior Salutes, but because I don’t want any of these great young men to leave our program as players. As I sit on the bus on the way to Concordia I find myself having a tough time saying good bye to these six seniors. They are a great group that I am happy to say will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

David Barry:
The thing I am going to miss the most about David is going to be his toughness both on and off the field. David is one of the hardest workers we have ever had in the program and his success is all self-made. David through his four years could always be found working on his craft either in the weight room or throwing a tennis ball off the wall working on his defense. David has been a major part of our program and we are going to miss his tough, never give in, attitude he brings every day.  David is one of those players that has the special ability to really reach and push his teammates. David can get on a teammate about something and that teammate will listen like it was coming from a coach. That tells me that David has the respect of his teammates, not because of his skills, but because of the person he is and the work he puts in. Many know the story of David throughout our program from when he was a freshman to now. He has turned himself into one of the best all-around players we have had in the program in my time here. He continues to make huge plays up the middle and gets big hits when we need it. David, your toughness and your personality (sometimes a smartass) will allow you to be successful in life down the road. I will miss you telling Whitey, “Come on! Work!” from the shortstop position before I can even open my mouth. Good luck in the future David and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

Drew Denning:
I have known Drew since we was a little kid throwing the ball of his front steps of his parent’s house on Jefferson Ave in St. Paul.  Drew grew up down the block from my childhood house and I remember seeing him play every level of baseball growing up, so it was only fitting to have Drew be a part of this program. Drew, I have seen you grow up right in front of my eyes and I am very proud of the person you are today. You came to Saint Mary’s as very shy kid and you are leaving more than ready to dominate life. Baseball is a lot like life, it can take you down some exciting but sometimes difficult paths. Those that stay with the process and believe that good things will happen will be rewarded in the end if they continue to be good people and have a work ethic. This is Drew! Drew has not had the easiest path in our program when it comes to always playing but he has earned every good thing that has happened to him and I am so very happy he is having a great senior season. Drew has great hands and the ability to turn two with the best of them. Drew, like many players in our program have had many different roles throughout his four years here and with each role, no matter how big or small he has executed it well.  Drew, I am going to miss not having a West 7th Streeter and a CDH Raider around but I know you are ready for the next step in your life and you will be successful in that step because of the person you have become. Good luck in the future Drew and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

Jake Merkle:
Oh, Jake Merkle. That is I think a fitting way to start this off. You are one of a kind and that kind in my book is a keeper. You have not only been a leader on our pitching staff, but in our program over the last couple of years and have done a wonderful job to say the least. You have pitched in every role a pitcher can pitch but the thing I love about you is that you approached each role the same no matter if it was starting or coming in late in a game. There are many things as a coach you see that other don’t get the chance to see. Jake didn’t get off to the best start this year but instead of feeling sorry for himself Jake just kept working hard daily. Not only in practice, but you can find Jake working on his own almost daily throughout the year to improve no matter if he pitched well or poorly.  We talk a lot about controlling the process and Jake has done this to the best of his ability. This has rubbed off on his teammates and I know long term people won’t remember what Jake’s ERA was at Saint Mary’s, but will remember Jake for the type of person he is and the work he did daily to improve not for the benefit of himself, but for the betterment of the team. Jake, I am going to miss you stopping up to my office to ask a quick question which then turns into a 30 minute conversation about coaching and life. You have many special gifts and I know you will take the tools you have learned over these four year to help you become as successful as you want to be. Remember success in my opinion is when you leave a place better then when you arrived and I fully believe you have made this program better because you arrived four years ago! Good luck in the future Jake and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

Kevin Miley:
I remember going to a CDH game and watching this kid hit the ball all over the park, thinking to myself how great it would be to have this kid in our program because of what he can do on a baseball field. What I didn’t know at the time was it wasn’t just his baseball skills that were going to leave a mark on our program. It’s the type of person Kevin is that has influenced all of us to be better people. When I heard Kevin was not going to be a part of the program at another university I thought to myself, “Wow, I would love to have him be a part of our family.” Before you know it, I had a NCAA release on my office desk from Kevin Miley. I remember going up to meet with Kevin to talk and on my drive back to campus thinking to myself that if Kevin comes to Saint Mary’s he will have a major impact not only on our program but on our University. Kevin has lived up to that and more. If you ask any player or coach about Kevin you will find out how special he is as a person/teammate and as we know as a baseball player. Kevin is very hard working both in the classroom and on the field. You can find him most mornings hitting off a tee or lifting before two thirds of the campus is even moving around. Kevin has had many big hits over the course of his three years in the program and Kevin, it’s not too late to come back for a fourth! Kevin, I admire the type of person you are and I truly believe you have made everyone in our program better because we had the opportunity to be around you over these last three years. You are a wonderfully gifted baseball player, but you are even a better person. I am going to miss our St.Paul talks on the bus as the spot behind me will always be reserved for you. Good luck in the future Kevin and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

Pat Regan:
When you think about a teammate or a player that is the ultimate team guy, Pat Regan comes to mind. Ask any player on our team of the importance of Regs in our program and you better have more than a minute to listen because what he has done and continues to do is special. Regs is all about the team and his teammates. He has not pitched in a 100 innings or had a 100 saves but what he has brought to our program is more special than that.  Regs had been willing to change arm angles and do anything that would help the team even if that meant it was going to be tough road to go down. That just shows you that Regs always puts the team ahead of his own personal accomplishments and it doesn’t go unnoticed by his teammates and coaches. Regs is a great leader and has shown many of our players the importance of buying into a role and how to work towards dominating the role to the best of their ability. We are going to miss all that Regs brings to the program on a daily bases. I know that if I ever needed to get something done I could count on Regs to do the job. Regs, I am going to miss your team first mentality but more importantly I am going to miss the type of person and leader you have become. You have grown so much over these four year and you will be very successful down the road. If I own a business I would hire you in a heartbeat. Good luck in the future Pat and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.

Jon Schlemmer:
Big boy I have seen you grow-up so much from the first day of your freshman year until now. You have been through more in life than any college kid should have to go through. Watching you lose your mother to cancer was heart breaking but I know your mom would be so proud of the way you have handled everything. You have grown into a person that is ready for the real world and I know whatever path you go down and who ever hires you will love the decision they made because of what you bring to the table. You might be one of the most well liked people we have ever had in the program. You have the ability to connect with everyone either through sports, music, or personal experiences. Your gift is the way you make others feel when they are around you. It’s a special gift and don’t forget that. Schlem, at times gets mistaken for a coach and not a player because of his size and lack of hair but I can tell you how happy I am that he is a player. When Jon comes to the plate you can feel everyone hold the breath because there is a very good chance you could see a ball exploded off his bat into the gap or into the tress over the fence.  You have grown so much mentally over your time here and I am proud of you because of that. I think Jon would agree the number one thing that he struggled with was the mental game when he came to campus. The mental game is a tough thing to master and I give Schlem so much credit for sticking with it and getting better day by day. I think Schlem is enjoying this year more than all the others because of his focus on being a great teammate. Jon, you are a special player and a special person. Life hasn’t dealt you the easiest cards but you just keep on going because good things will come to you because of the person you are and continue to become. Good luck in the future Jon and you will always be a part of our Cardinal Baseball Family.