Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Athletics

Where did the time go? It feels as though it was just a few short months since my first captain’s practice during the fall. I remember going out there and having the nerves as though I had never picked up a bat or ball. It’s like it happened yesterday, Vinnie Lou gathered us all in and began to speak…. I remember thinking to myself “is this guy a coach? Why does he have aviator sunglasses on and look like he’s 30?” and “why has he been talking for over an hour now?” That’s where it all began. That’s what has led me to here: A senior sitting in his apartment writing what seems to be a farewell to the game I have loved my whole life.
    
Thank you. Thank you to my family. Hunter, you have continually inspired me from the time you were old enough to start playing baseball with Connor and I in the backyard. Your heart and determination come second to none, and I know without a doubt that you will do tremendous things next year at UW-Madison. Always remember how proud of you I am, and how much I love you. Connor, I will now admit that you, my little brother, can take me in a fight. I have always been considered a hard worker while playing baseball here at Saint Mary’s, and with no hesitation I can say that I learned that from you. You work harder than anyone I know to achieve what you want. Few people can say that they got a D1 baseball scholarship, and even fewer can say that they then decided to then play D1 football instead. I cannot wait to come down to UW-Madison and Camp Randall next year to watch you play for the Badgers. Your limit is truly endless and the world will know your name. Uncle Kurt, you are the man! You have been there for me whenever I have needed you and your love for me and my brothers truly knows no bounds. I am forever grateful to have you in my life and a part of my family. I love you UK and can’t wait to create more amazing memories together. Dad, I could thank you until next year and it wouldn’t be enough. Our relationship seems to be growing as we both get older, and I am very grateful to have you as a father, and more so now a great friend. You have given me so much and continue to do so. You are the reason I want to be successful in life. I am so proud to be your son and not a day goes by that I don’t realize how much you have given me in this wonderful life we have shared together as a family. If I can give my future wife and kids half of what you have given our family, then they will also live an amazing life like I have. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. By the way, you are Jon boy, not me. My rock, my number one fan, my favorite person in the whole wide world, my beautiful and courageous mother. Mom I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to thanking you. You don’t get told enough how amazing of a woman you are. You have helped me through so much and continue to be there for me every single day. I hope that one day I have the opportunity to be a parent like you have been for me because I think I have learned from the best when it comes to you. Your endless hugs, “love you honey” texts, random calls to check in with me, and your ability to make any bad situation seem better are only a few of the amazing things you do for me almost every day. I love you to the moon and back, mom and I will always be your little boy.
    
To my coaches,
Coach Winecke, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be apart of something bigger than myself. You taught me many great baseball skills, but those pale in comparison to what you taught me about life. I truly feel prepared to handle the real world after I leave here, and I owe so much of that to you. When life gets hard, and law school gets tough next year, I know ill be prepared for it and ready to answer back. You have done a great thing here at Saint Mary’s, and I know you will continue to grow this program to an elite level. Coach Whaley, seriously how do you know so much about baseball? Thank you for teaching me and helping me to grow as a person while here at Saint Mary’s. Having you on the coaching staff was a great blessing and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to play for you. Oh and you should probably let Krone coach Cotter. TJ Oakes, Que Pasa? You never let me pitch, so that’s kinda tough to get over but whatever, now no one will ever know I throw 90+ and can paint the corners like Da Vinci. In all seriousness, thank you for coming to Saint Mary’s and helping this program succeed. You are a great person and a tremendous role model for any person, but most importantly the Saint Mary’s baseball players. Getting to know you this year has been awesome and don’t worry, when I get drafted as a side armer, I will give you a little tiny bit of credit. Donde pelota, TJ?  Krone, I would make a banana joke but that would just be rotten of me. You have given so much to this program as a player and coach and it is so appreciated. Thank you Krone, and if you ever need another farm hand, call me up. Can’t forget about the man, the myth, the legend: Coach Jake. For starters, Chara would without a doubt dust Howard in a fight. Worst argument of all time. Also, big fan of orange kick starts, it’ll get the boys buzzing. You are very missed here in Winona, and I know I speak for everyone when I say that we wish you could have stayed for one more year. With that being said, I am so happy for you and everything you have going on in the Windy City. Thank you for recruiting me to Saint Mary’s, and being such an amazing role model for me while you were here and as you continue to be. You da man Jake. Coach Sagar, I am sorry for glaring at you during quarters but those things suck. You have made a tremendous impact on the baseball program, and the entire athletic department here at Saint Mary’s. You would go the extra mile for anybody, and I hope to take that quality with me into life. Thank you for everything. To all the trainers—and other coaches who helped out along the way—thank you, thank you, thank you! You guys always treated us like top notch athletes and took care of us when we needed it most. Your help and dedication to our baseball team was nothing short of remarkable and I thank you so much for that.
    
To the SMU Boyz,
For starters I just want to apologize for anyone I may miss in here. I could truly write a 30-page salute to all my teammates from these past 4 years, but that would make for a rather lengthy read. I want to make one thing abundantly clear. The past 4 years have been the greatest privilege of my life. The memories we have forged on and off The Max together will remain with me forever, and not a day goes by that I do not thank God for giving me this chance, this opportunity, this great gift of getting to grow closer to each and every one of you. Always remember that you have a brother in me, as I will always remember I have a brother in you.
    
To the SMU Boyz, the OG SMU Boyz.
How crazy is it that my class is finally seniors? I remember walking into the locker room and hearing Gannon and Krieger dying from laughter like it was yesterday. I remember Pauly and Scotty hanging out all the time and being best friends. I remember Schelmmer literally arguing every thing there was to argue about sports… seriously Schlem just give it up already, no way that an NBA player could take an NHL player in a fight. I remember going to have Tessy help with (do my) accounting homework freshmen year. I remember Teddy curling 120 lb dumbbells in the weight room during all hours of the day. I remember Serv and T Bombs in the bro leo parking lot. I remember Thelly and Sully being my boys and becoming two of my best friends, miss you guys and can’t wait to be back in the same city next year. I remember David Barry baby saying things like “well the difference is” almost every other sentence. I remember asking Vinny questions that I still think he is answering. Most importantly though I remember all the great things you guys did before and during my time here and I am so grateful to have been your teammate. Thank you fellas.
    
To the Freshmen: You guys are the first class that has really reminded me of my own, the current senior class. You all work hard, care for one another, and just flat out love to play the game of baseball. Hold on to that passion and love for the game. At times it may be fleeting but always remember why you started and where you want to finish. Be something special guys, be the class that guys talk about 10 years from now as the ones who took this team to new heights that no one thought we could previously reach. Continue the legacy that so many before you have begun, and always remember how great a privilege it is to pull on that Cardinal uniform and play on The Max. I know at times things seem tough, and no that will not change, but I challenge you all to embrace that adversity and then thrive under it. The greatest feats always seem to happen when you think nothing good may come. Stick with the process and continue to grow as baseball players and men. Bailey and Charles, you guys WILL be great outfielders here at Saint Mary’s. You both work incredibly hard every day at practice and are both solid dudes whom I’m happy to have met. Your futures are bright and I cannot wait to watch the success you two will surely have. Charlie, I hope you’re finally comfortable. DJ, you are an icon. Keeping swinging a big stick Bam Bam.
    
To the Sophomores: I am sure that you guys are thinking “how has it already been two years?” Just wait, because the next two will go even quicker. I don’t say that to scare you, but to remind you that this is a great time of your life. Don’t take these times for granted, and continue to have fun with this wonderful time. Slow, keep working on your high-fives and the baseball stuff as well. Olsen, you are truly a legend. Keep working hard man, you are so close to really putting your game all together and you will see results from doing so. Mencacci, you’re probably the only guy on the team that works out more than me, and I fully support that. Keep pumping iron and dropping bombs young man. Your future is very bright as a Cardinal; of that I am very sure. Barry, you hit the ball really far and hard. Its pretty cool when you do that, and the boys support it. So keeping hitting moon shoots and downing energy drinks big dog. J, you my man. Love reading all your hilarious tweets and snapchats. You are so close to being a pivotal member of the pitching staff and I look forward to seeing your name in the win columns next year. Uncle Joey! You are a genuine person and deserve all the success that will come your way the next two years. I cant wait to see all the great things you do.
    
To the Juniors: You guys are something else… Just a bunch of goof balls, and I love it. You guys really know how to enjoy the game, and I think that is one of the most important qualities you can posses as a baseball player. Speaking of weird goofy kids, Randy Tanaka. Cherry, you are seriously one of a kind and I am very happy that we’ve become close friends over these last three years. A want to leave you with a word advice: stay out of your own way. You have more than enough ability to be a very talented player at this level, and you will be soon enough. Do not be afraid of failure, but instead learn from it and you will become a great player for this program. Bobby Sports! You are a dusty pigeon bender. You brought a lot to the team this year, and I am really happy you were able to turn in the skates for spikes this spring. Good luck next year in both sports and I know that you’ll enjoy your final athletic year. Primmer, Look at the flick of da wrist big boi!!! Thanks for always keeping a smile on my face and being a positive presence for the team. Connor, be careful next time you get invited to go on an adventure in the bluffs. You have always been a joy to be around and I have had a great time getting to know you more this last year. Keep in touch and best of luck in your senior year Condor. Jacobs, I HATE HITTING AGAINST YOU. What’s it like being a foot taller than me? Do I look like an ant from way up there? Believe in yourself man, you have great stuff on the bump and decent jokes off it. You have really developed into a great pitcher for us but more importantly you have really been a great guy with the team off the field this year and that’s what I like the most. Blake, you have sick style. I like that we share the same hat, even though I got it first but don’t worry about it.
    
To the Seniors ….
So this is depressing. Probably shouldn’t graduate yet, but what can you do right Reds? Stephen, Hello Scuba Steve. I support rally guys and your infamous Florida nickname of TT. You coined the towel under the hat look, and diced a lot of guys while here at Saint Mary’s. You throw cheese balls and host sick dance offs after sweep city. You probably shouldn’t have taken Merkle’s old jersey. Thing probably smells like coffee and regrets, but whatever you wore 2 well this year and I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished wearing the Cardinal J. Frosty, I am so proud of you. What you have gone through this year and still been able to put a smile on your face everyday is truly inspiring. Alright, enough soft stuff. Getting to live with you for two years was some kind of experience. My only complaint: so many damn spitters. Other than that you have been a great roommate/friend/teammate/ and most importantly brother to me and I will always love you for that. Don’t be a stranger and try to lay off the doughnuts when you become a cop. Ketchmark, you argue about sports more than anyone I know. You also have shown a level of dedication to this program that few can say they’ve matched. Your willingness to do whatever was asked of you for four years was really cool to see. Thanks for the memories Ketch, and best of luck in all your future endeavors. Shawn Big Daddy Morris, you are the man. I will wear burn orange for you any day of the week and twice on Sunday. It might not show up in the box scores, but you have been a pivotal member of this team the last few years. Thank you for always keeping things light and putting smiles on the face of everyone to interact with. Keep working on that golf game, and ill be sure to drop a few “you just can’t teach that” for you when the time is right. Daws Daddy, oh man you are a GG all day. It has been a fun four years man, remember when you ran into a light pole? Good thing whitey is a great friend and rushed out to rescue you. You have sick ink and are a great guy and I am happy we’ve had the opportunity to be teammates and more importantly friends. Keep in touch possum and stay away from those ally ways.. My man BP. Powers, you’ve been a great friend to me over our four years here. You’ve also never been wrong, which is pretty damn impressive. Thank you for always being there for me and being such a great person. I honestly think you might rule the world one day, and I hope you ask me to help out. The program is going to miss you, there is no doubt in that. Also, you got dem bars boi. Daddy, Benny J. I think you enjoy going to the city more than anyone on the team. Well except for Tyler who goes to the city every night. Thanks for cleaning my clothes and loaning 201 frozen pizza for our 2 am snacks. So excited to hangout with you all the time this summer in St Paul! Daddy is coming home. Whitey, you are the most unique individual I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You hit tanks out of the ball park Tyler and that is pretty cool. So happy you’re done with science class too because I cannot take you stressing out about that anymore, it honestly stresses me out how stressed you get. Remember, corn dogs are cheap and running just makes you tired and we don’t need to do that anymore. LURRRRR. Big Pede. It is our day man, literally its senior day. You have the great ability to make everyone around you smile and that’s a beautiful quality to posses. Thank you for bringing positivity when others could not find it. I wish you the best in whatever journey you take. Figit, Ryan Fejt. You cooling my dude? The last two years have been a blast since you got here. We have made some great memories and I wish you were heading out of Saint Mary’s with us this year, but I know you’ll love being an assistant coach with Krone next year. Oh man…. Red DAWG. Redders I love you man. I don’t even know what else to say other than that. You will be a life long friend of mine that I am sure, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Keep working on taking off those flannels, remember to un-button them first that seems to help out a bit. Junior year with you, Sully, and Frost ball was the best. Great times with a great guy. Keep those abbreviation skills on point and I will catch you at some badger games soon. You’re a GG reds.
    
Ricky Palermo, You’ve done everything for this team and I cannot thank you enough for being such a great guy for this team. You never got the accolades of a player or the attention of hitting a big homerun, but you always helped us win games, and it has been greatly appreciated.
    
To 201y and Eds—First things first: I am the scum, Kevin is the wall, Bean is the baby, Willie is the candle, and Cale Pie is the maid. I’d be lying to you guys if I said that writing this section was going to be easy. You four have been like brothers to me during my time at SMU and getting the chance to gain all of your friendships has meant the world to me. Who would have thought that we would all be ending up in the twin-cities this summer, so hopefully our final goodbyes this year wont be as daunting as originally planned. We’ve joked so many times about how sad this whole senior salute thing would be and now its finally here. It seems like just a month ago that we all moved in to 201 and now its almost time to move back out. Well willie didn’t move in right away. He basically lived out of his car for the first two weeks until we complained about not having the PlayStation for Netflix enough, but he eventually got all his things moved inside. It took Kevin even longer, a whole semester in fact, but I am beyond happy you made it back for the final stretch with us Kev. Well here goes nothing:
    
Beanie, I wish you gave me more credit for being good since I was your first catch partner here at Saint Mary’s. I have loved getting to know you over these past 3 years, but most especially this last year being roommates. I have no idea how you put up with me all this time, but I thank you for doing so because it would have sucked living in the sink like we originally planned. You’ve been very successful while here, and it is extremely well deserved. The strong work ethic and passion you show for bettering yourself is truly second to none and I can’t wait to see what you do in your final stanza next year. If you ever want to hangout again after this year just hit me on my Hotline Bling, take that 305 To My City, and you can Come Thru for Summer Sixteen. Love you, beanie and I hope you invite me to your fourth birthday party.
    
Cale Pie, remember that time you got really mad about me calling you little guy? Oh man that was funny. If I had to pick a song to describe this year for you it would for sure be Wrecking Ball. What do wrecking balls do Pie guy? Yes, they destroy homes. You are the lauest of all the Laus and I am happy we became friends through R Wads. I hope to one day be as successful as you Cale, but that will probably never happen so I will just keep living vicariously through you for the time being. I hope we can hangout a few more times before you move to Seattle and only wear dark clothing for the rest of your life. In all seriousness It has been a blast growing our friendship. From the summer trips to just the random week night movies this year, we’ve had a lot of fun and I hope that all continues when we leave this place. Don’t be afraid to come on over from your big boy job in Minneapolis this summer to visit me. Love you, Lau.
    
Willie (Bill), Well … we should probably be adults now. Probably a good thing you didn’t leave much during second semester cause only bad things happened when you did. That’s probably because you’re the dad of our room. That should come as no surprise though, because you’ve been a leader for this team and the members of it for four years now. Your relentless ability to compete and fight on the field has been much appreciated and respected. Thanks for always punching my disc and making it hurt worse, like that time I told you it really hurt but you decided to jump on my back anyway… thanks man. You are Willie Sum and you love JSum with all your heart, so please just stop trying to deny it. I love you like a brother and I am so happy we had the opportunity to meet each other at this small school in Winona. I am really happy that you will be up in the cities with me after graduation so I don’t have to take on the real world alone. Your passion for everything you do will take you far in life, and I can’t to watch you succeed. Go Pack Go and Skol Hawks baby!
    
And finally, Kevin Mile Miley. You scummed me so many times while at Saint Mary’s. The biggest scum of all was how you never let me have an SO in Eds with you. What the heck man, and you never SO’d in 201. Well except for the time you slept on the tile because you were not deserving of a bed. I am so sorry that Cale covered you up first semester, and still refuses to remove the poster that covers you in our room. Getting to develop our friendship has been the best thing that has happened to me here at Saint Mary’s. Your kind heart, caring personality, and jubilant smile are only a few of the qualities that I wish I could truly emulate myself. I don’t consider you a friend, but a brother and I think that’s pretty awesome. My mom even said she would adopt you, but you could never leave Frank The Tank and Kathy. I hope to one day have as positive of an impact on someone as you have had on me, Kevin. You are truly the best guy I know and you will always have a brother in me. Love ya, Kev. And most importantly of all… Hail Raiders.
    
If you made it this far, then thank you. Baseball has given me so much and I can’t believe that my time to say goodbye as a player has finally come. Being a baseball player has been apart of my identity since I was 6 years old, and now almost 17 years later, it is time to bid it my ever so gracious farewell. It is truly a beautiful thing how a big field made of grass, dirt, and a few bases can make so many great things happen. I thank God for giving me this opportunity and I thank all of you for being apart of my journey. Until next time….
    
Love,
Rollie