May 19, 2016
Last Blog…
If you’ve made it this far in the blog then you must be a true Yellow Jacket fan, or be extremely bored all the time. Regardless, we survived the season. There were low points, high points, some more low points, and a couple games that made us all scratch our heads.
It’s always hard to reflect on any season because every team but one goes home in defeat. Our team this season experienced growing pains in a variety of ways, but the year was far from a failure. We learned to play as a team, to understand the game, how to lead, how to be a teammate, and things we need to work on. While no one will look at our record or our two post-season losses and call us a success, there was more growth in this team than on any team I’ve ever been a part of.
To the seniors, we thank you for your service and dedication to the program. This senior class pioneered our program through the first four years of the G-MAC, led this team on and off the field, and beat Tampa (#WeBeatTampa). If you want to know more about our seniors and their future plans just scroll down a little to last weeks blog, aaaaaannnnndddd…. there it is (See Generation X, Technology isn’t that complicated). On behalf of the entire team I wish this group of men good luck in the real world, and hope that they come back to the cornfields every once in awhile (Yes, even you Canada).
Quote of the Week
"This isn’t a third world country" – Marshall Johnson
Weekly Award
The "Whey" Too Big Award
**Awarded to Marc Russell for bench-pressing 280lbs on bench press during our pre-summer testing day. Someone remind him drug testing is coming up soon**
Mailbag
"Why haven’t you accepted my invitation to play Candy Crush on Facebook?" - Former Teammate
I don’t think this was intended to be a mailbag question, but since I’ve only gotten like two real mailbags all year I’m tossing it in the mix (Thanks for the participation to the two of you who did send in a question).
The reason I won’t accept this unnamed players’ Candy Ccrush request is because I don’t believe in fun. Also, Facebook games aren’t that great, and I have more important things to do like watch the Reds get blown out of literally every single game this year. For those of you who don’t know me, I have three favorite things: the smell of a freshly cut lawn, the breeze that hits you after exiting a porta-potty on a hot summer day, and rejecting Facebook game invites out of spite. These are the simple joys that get me through the monotonous drudgery of daily life.
Honestly, I’m embarrassingly awful at Candy Crush and I didn’t know what else to write in the final blog. Glad we all got to end on a high-ish note. Now that you’re done hearing (reading) me ramble; have a great summer and see you all next year.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
jadencleland@cedarville.edu
May 4, 2016
Senior Day…named for the seniors, but made for the parents.
I’ve had the unbelievable privilege to play with all of these amazing seniors. They’re some of the most outstanding men you’ll ever have the opportunity to meet. For this blog I’ve set aside a section for each senior detailing a little about their time here and their plans for the future. Cheer on your seniors and your Yellow Jackets this weekend in their final home series. Be sure to say thank you and wish these men luck with their future plans.
Connor Hamilton RHP (#1) – Business Management
Connor is getting married in August (Can’t wait to turn up!!!), and moving
to warmer weather in South Carolina to pursue a career in business.
Favorite Memory: Beating #1 ranked University of Tamp last season. #WeBeatTampa
Jordan Adams RHP (#6) – Business Management and Finance
Jordan has plans to work at Otis Elevators in Cincinnati, OH, but also has plans to pursue Independent Baseball as another potential career option.
Favorite Memory: Reaching base on an error, giving him an OBP of 1.000, in his only collegiate at bat.
Garrett Baker RHP (#7) – Exercise Science
Garrett plans to play Independent Baseball professionally after the season ends. Once he retires from baseball he plans to pursue his Masters in PE
while working as a graduate assistant coach. He also plans to work part-time as a pitching instructor.
Favorite Memory: Tyler Hurt laughing so hard that he spit ice cream all over the hotel walls…Guess you had to be there.
David Bancroft LHP (#9) – Biology
David will further his education with a doctorate degree in physical therapy at Simmons University in Texas.
Favorite Memory: Having 2 walk offs in the same day of the G-MAC Conference tournament Sophomore year.
Jesse Froese RHP (#19) – Business Management
Jesse is going back to Canada to work in the family business at Froese Vegetables, Inc. He will use his Business Management degree to improve
operations for the company and expand his vegetable empire across Canada.
Favorite Memory: Making the team.
David Lenhardt OF (#34) – Exercise Science
David will work at Prasco Park in Cincinnati, OH as a stadium operations associate. David also plans to get use his exercise science degree and
body-builder genes to get into the fitness industry.
Favorite Memory: Winning our semi-final game in the G-MAC Tournament with a walk off…on his birthday.
Freshman Spotlight
RHP (#15) – Brent Solinger
Brent has been a BIG asset to the team standing 6’9". While more mass doesn’t equal more gas, Brent has learned the art of pitching to contact to get guys out. "Tree" brings strength to our team; both in the weight room and with the depth he brings to our pitching staff. Brent is a solid dude with a great sense of humor and an unmatched love of the game. We recently sat down with Brent to ask him some tough questions. If Brent could change his name, he would change it to Gunnar so he could have the nickname "Gun-Piece". When asked which character from Harry Potter he most associated with, Brent chose the groundskeeper Hagrid. The person with the best facial hair on the team is Garrett Baker, and Brent agrees with me that Bond is far superior to Jason Bourne.
Quote of the Week
"’Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon results’ – Anonymous" - Daniel Llerena
Weekly Award
Best Joke Told by a Bus Driver
**Awarded to Craig for telling the following joke… "How do you catch a unique rabbit? … You nique up on it."**
Mailbag
"Who is better: James Bond or Jason Bourne?" - (Peter Martin, Ohio)
This topic has been the subject of heated debates over the last two years, and I always seem to be in the middle of the argument. First, there are two things you must know: I love to argue and James Bond is clearly the better of the two. We must first decide what question we are answering. Since the question is states as "better" this leaves some ambiguity. If we are asking whom would win in a street fight, the answer would be Jason Bourne because he has been genetically enhanced; both mentally and physically. For those who don’t believe me that he is genetically enhanced (Cough, Dan Larkin), you should re-watch The Bourne Legacy and note that, "Operation Treadstone has been shown to be a Beta program along with Brackibriar, for creating super spies through genetic engineering" (The Bourne Legacy). Due to the unfair nature of the fight, this cannot be the ultimate determinant for which spy is superior.
Secondly, if we are comparing the two series, we must eliminate the older Bond films (From 1962 with Dr. No – 2002 with Die Another Day), and simply compare the two modern film series. By comparing the last four films in each series we can see that James Bond averages $793 million per film, while Jason Bourne stumbles along at $305 million. I do understand the Bond film has a much more storied franchise, and an older audience to tap into for sales. To combat this I compared the total ticket sales by millenials for each of the series’ last four films. Unsurprisingly, Bond took home the gold yet again. Though I wish I could go into more detail and finally crush the pro-Bourne resistance, I must reach my conclusion.
Both characters are secretive, alone, and violent. But Bond is more than that. Bond is the epitome of class and sophistication; not only will he foil your plan, steal your girl, and make condescending comments, but he’ll do it while adjusting the cufflinks on his custom fit suit. I like my spies getting out of an Aston Martin in downtown London rather than stumbling out of a cab in Los Angeles with less than half his memory.
Shoot me an email to weigh in on the discussion or express your thoughts on the matter.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
jadencleland@cedarville.edu
April 26, 2016
Panda… Panda… Panda, Panda, Panda, Panda
Before each game, our team meanders out to right field for the pre-game huddle to pray and occasionally hear a pre-game speech. In recent days the pre-game speech honors have gone to senior Jordan Adams who recants his version of an old Chinese proverb. The proverb goes something like this (to be read in a Virginia accent)…
"In my travels, I came across a man in China land who told me an ancient
Chinese proverb. The story goes that there was two mouses, and both
mouses fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse gave up and drowned.
Do you wanna know what the second mouse did? That mouse scratched,
clawed, fought, and swam so hard… that he turned that cream into
butter!!! And that little mouse climbed out!!! Which mouse are you??"
Each speech ends with a quick mosh-pit and a significant number of body shots to your nearest teammate to get the blood flowing. Hey… it’s only stupid if it doesn’t work.
On a side note, Cedarville baseball would like to give a shout out to Kylie Faxon and her Advocare representative for their support.
Freshman Spotlight
LHP (#21) - Andrew Plunkett
Plunk hails from Libertyville, Illinois, but he’ll tell you he’s from Chicago cause it sounds cooler than Libertyville. Plunkett, as we affectionately call him, has dynamic stuff on the mound from the left side, can get us out of a jam, and will always one-up your story. Andrew owns four Chicago sports team jerseys, which surprised me because I thought he owned a lot more than that. He is a natural blonde and shockingly prefers John Stamos to Bob Saget. When asked why he chose the number twenty-one, Plunkett touchingly said, "because it was available". In the middle of this interview, Plunkett claimed, on a scale from 1-10, he hated Drew around a 3.8. If you see dandy Andy around give him a pat on the back and remind him the Cubs will always be better than the White Sox.
Quote of the Week
"Hey, #13! You got a hole in your pants!! (Batter swings and misses) Hey, #13! You got a hole in your bat!" - Disgruntled Cedarville Fan
Weekly Award
Helping Hands Award Presented by Allstate
**Presented to Nancy Ritchie for buying the whole team lunch between games**
Mailbag
"What are your expectations for the remainder of the season?" - (John, Scranton)
Anything short of a national title would be a disappointment for this season. We’ve played very well to this point in the season and are poised for a deep tournament run. Our greatest challenge the remainder of the season into the tournament is probably the University of Tampa, but we already beat them last year so we aren’t too worried. Some people might say, "Jaden, you guys are 13-22. How can you win a national title?" Those people don’t understand that we have been strategically losing games throughout the year to get a favorable match-up in the tournament and to make our national championship look even more impressive coming from a lower seed.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to jadencleland@cedarville.edu, and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
April 12, 2016
Well, we aren’t undefeated in April anymore, but we had a couple strong outings against our arch-nemesis Alderson Broaddus this past weekend. But that’s enough about baseball.
Marc Russell, a.k.a. Marc The Sharc (With a "c" apparently), got an interesting new pair of sliding shorts this week. The sliding shorts, comparable to Blake’s squirrel shorts from last week, depict a shockingly realistic image of a Great White Shark across the front. I found this was notable and important to share with you.
In other news, our team did an exceptional job at "trapping the field" according to Coach G. Freshman pitcher Jordan Ralston weighed in that the field "shouldn’t have escaped in the first place", but that he was glad it had been "trapped". (For those of you are a little lost, this is a joke about a typo in the team group chat.)
Now that you’re all back up to speed, I’d like to make an honorary mention for award of the week. While Marc Russell earned award of the week honors, a close second place goes to David Lenhardt for weirdest hairstyle of the week. David received some criticism in the group chat for putting his hair in a single, vertical pigtail.
Drew Johnson would like me to inform everyone to get a dog in the grits this week, even though none of us have any idea what that means. Blake Robertson is still removing people from the group chat like it’s his job, and Jesse Bush offered to buy the whole team ice cream in the group chat. I would also like to remind all of our readers that "Coach has the right to call a Saturday practice."
Freshman Spotlight
OF (#14) – Gunnar Stinson
Gunnar Stinson, a Business Management major, brings to the team a genuine love of the game and a hard work ethic. Gunnar has an affinity for eating salads and for apologizing for things he needn’t apologize for. Gunnar estimates he’s eaten over 150 heads of lettuce this year. Gunnar has never seen the Muppets, likes Max and Erma’s, and likes to pronounce Manes as "mayonnaise". On a fat scale from 1-7, Gunnar thinks that Garfield is roughly a 6. He noted, "a minute on the lips, forever on the hips". When asked how many laps around the track he thought he could carry RHP Josh Kneeland (210 lbs), he said three laps. We’ll be testing that out after practice today, so ask Gunnar if his legs are sore tomorrow when you see him. Here’s to Gun Piece.
Quotes of the Week
"Boys, boys, boys. 7 tarp on game time for the Alderson Broaddus Cedarville 2 game times for 4 games in the tarp pull make sure field good for tarp and play game on tarp pull time. Home. Game." – Jordan Adams (explaining Coach’s email to the rest of the team.)
"Really Bush… Really??" – Coach Manes
Weekly Award
Most Chill Champion presented by Old Spice
**Presented to Marc Russell for being the most relaxed person in the world according to a recent poll*
According to this bracket, done by Cole "Thad" Ferguson, Marc beat out a host of extremely chill people. The list of individuals less chill than Marc includes, but is not limited to, Crush (the sea turtle from Finding Nemo), Bob Marley, Patrick Bain (Sophomore point guard for Cedarville University), Garret Baker (senior pitcher for Cedarville University), Kurt Beachy (Athletic Trainer), Toby, and a Panda. If you see Marc on campus, say his name with a "k" instead of a "c", and check his pulse to make sure he’s still with us.
Mailbag
"I am aware that Cedarville played a Sunday afternoon game against Alderson Broaddus this past weekend, almost exactly a year following (April 12, 2015) the twin-bill against Davis & Elkins. Is this Cedarville’s first steps toward shedding the "Christian" aspect of the university, as many universities so recently have?" - (A Concerned Alumni)
No, Cedarville is as committed to its’ faith as the University has ever been. Both instances, the April 12th doubleheader and the games played this past weekend, were a result of poor weather conditions combined with an inability to re-work our schedule. Both Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus are located in West Virginia, roughly five hours away from Cedarville, which adds to the difficulty in rescheduling the contests. The Davis & Elkins games last season were moved to Sunday because we were already in West Virginia, and unable to reschedule the games for any other date on the schedule that coordinated with both teams.
Similarly, Alderson Broaddus, along with ourselves, have packed schedules through the remainder of the season leading to the reasonable conclusion that make-up games are highly unlikely. On both occasions, Coach Manes has requested and been granted approval from both the Athletic Department and from the University itself to play these games. While playing on Sundays is not ideal for the University, some accommodations must be made in order to reconcile poor weather conditions for outdoor sporting events. Also, in both instances, our coaching staff has invited the opposing team to join us in church to worship along side us and to share the gospel. All Sunday games are played in the afternoons and evenings to avoid any church conflict for both players and coaches from both sides of the diamond.
Thank you for your inquiry. I hope I was able to sufficiently answer your question.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to jadencleland@cedarville.edu, and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
April 7, 2016
We won…seriously…we did though.
Most people would look at the box scores from this weekend and see that our team scored a lot of runs, that Nate Robinson got his first college win, and that Josh nearly threw a no-hitter. Again, most people would assume that our better play was the reason we swept our series this weekend, but not me.
Every baseball player has some sort of superstition. I played ball with a kid who had a four-leaf clover in his hat, and another kid who played with the ace of spades in his back pocket cause’ it made him hit better. While our team isn’t superstitious, we are a little stitious.
Blake Robertson, also our Freshman of the Week, owns a pair of sliding shorts with a very realistic image of a squirrel on them. Blake’s sliding shorts add 7 mph (miles per hour) to his fastball, and puts the fear of God in opposing hitters.
Jordan Adams, our closer, refuses to walk, or even jog, from the bullpen. Instead, he takes off at a dead sprint from the bullpen to the mound. This burst of speed informs the other team that he’s a bit of a psychopath, and isn’t afraid to throw inside. The sprint isn’t just for intimidation; it’s a necessity for good results. When talking to Jordan, he admitted he only sprinted at 90% from the bullpen at Ohio Dominican, which ultimately led to him giving up a home run.
Garret Baker and Nate Robinson, in consecutive weeks, have shaved their beards due to lack of on-field performance. While growing a beard, or long hair, is an alpha-male sign of dominance, these men have reverted back to the baby-faced assassin look to help the team win. Both Nate and Baker saw increased results this weekend due to better aerodynamics as a result of a clean shave.
Ross Melchior is so superstitions that his walk-up song is Superstition by Stevie Wonders.
While there are a thousand superstitions on the team, so I can’t go into detail for all of them, but any good baseball player knows that talent doesn’t win games… A good ritual does.
(Red-Shirt) Freshman Spotlight
RHP (#26) – Blake Robertson
Blake brings a unique skill set to the team that we sorely missed last year, and I’m not talking about baseball. While Blake is a good bullpen asset, we value his sarcasm, awkwardness, and savage group chat posts more than anything else. Blake always keeps Garrett Baker on his toes, and is ready at any moment to remove Eli Weldy from the group chat. Actually, Blake is willing at times to remove EVERYONE from the group chat just to make a point. Not only is that a true story, but it happened at 4:00 am. Blake’s favorite potato-based food is mashed potatoes. The last time he rode in a taxi was July 26th, 2015 (roughly 2:12 in the afternoon). Blake likes brunettes and, as any reasonable person would, prefers James Bond to Jason Bourne. When asked which president enacted the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Blake correctly guessed Richard Nixon. Any brunettes who like endangered species and Richard Nixon should say hi to Blake this week, and stop by a baseball game to watch him shred through the opposing lineup.
Quote of the Week
"90% of the game is half mental, and half of our team has lost all mental capability" – Marshall Johnson
Weekly Award
Notch in the Belt Award presented by Frisch’s Big Boy
**Presented to Nate Robinson for earning his first collegiate win, and garnering SUBWAY Athlete of the Week honors**
Mailbag
What’s your favorite color? (Tom, Los Angeles)
I don’t have a favorite color because I’m a grown man.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to jadencleland@cedarville.edu, and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
March 29, 2016
Well…the sacrifice didn’t work.
Or perhaps, the sacrifice is still pending in the baseball gods’ inbox marked as "unread". Either way, we got smoked this week.
There are some notable, both good and bad, things that happened throughout the week. Jesse Bush, in his first five plate appearances of the season, has four strikeouts (known as the Golden Sombrero) and hit into a triple play…a triple play!!! …It’s simply amazing!!!
Outside of our dismal performance this week on the field, it was a typical week of people yelling at each other while putting on the field tarp, Riley reacting angrily to the outcome of a Halo tournament, and multiple players getting roasted in the group chat.
One thing to know about the baseball group chat is that pictures you posted on Facebook in 2009 are not off-limits, and you should probably delete those ASAP.
Marshall Johnson
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Alex Kebbel
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Cole Swigert
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Freshman Spotlight
LHP (#17) – Jordan Ralston
Jordan, a.k.a. "Real-Dealston", in this picture looks like he’s gonna mug the next person who looks at him wrong. Ralston didn’t smile in his picture because, "there’s unsaved people in the world, and he’s not happy about that." Ralston has some nasty stuff coming out of the bullpen, but by far his best weapon is his sarcastic, "office-like", sense of humor. I was recently able to sit down with our Freshman of the Week, and ask him a few questions. Jordan has eaten 17 baby carrots in his life, and has never played monopoly. He estimates his max bench-press around 135 pounds. If Ralston was a super villain he, "wouldn’t have any henchmen", because he could conquer the world on his own. When asked about the crime he committed to get this mug shot taken, Ralston confessed he had been busted for "scanning and scramming" from chapel. If you see J-Rol around, ask him about his mix tape, but don’t mention his criminal record.
Quote of the Week
"I can only go [watch Batman v. Superman] if we have adult supervision" – Jesse Froese
Weekly Award
Cedarville Baseball Partisan Patience Award
**Honorably presented to the fans who sat continually sit through poor weather, and at times poor baseball, to watch us play**
Mailbag
How did you come to be called the "Big Mamu? - (Alex, Ohio)
It all began on a drizzly Tuesday in March of 2014. I, a doughy freshman, was invited by the super-fun, way cooler than me, upper classmen to hang out. We were in our first week of the season soaking up rays of sun in Clearwater, FL. Much to our dismay, our dinner had consisted of, among other things, sub-par macaroni and cheese that left us looking for food. We decided to venture out of the house in dire need for sustenance. In our travels we stumbled upon the Cajun Café on the Bayou, a small restaurant serving Louisiana Cuisine at 8101 Park Blvd N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781.
We stumbled into the diner, and with my dying breath I asked for the largest meal they had to offer. The waitress quickly returned with a magical dish, The Big Mamu: restoring my health, saving my life, and expanding my faith in Louisiana Cuisine prepared in the swamps of Florida. At this moment, a man named Arthur, known as King by some, came from behind the counter. He drew his sword, Excalibur, from its scabbard, and dubbed me "Big Mamu", Catcher for Cedarville University. True story…won the starting spot the next day.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to
jadencleland@cedarville.edu, and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
March 22, 2016
"Ouch"… thought in the minds of most Cedarville baseball enthusiasts after checking the box scores from the past weekend in Westfield, IN. We’ve been off to a rough start that culminated this past weekend in the Midwest Region Crossover. Obviously we’re struggling, but that’s the easy part. The tough part is finding a solution…
We needed a slump-buster, and how else does a team get out of a funk than to burn the cursed items that have been holding us down? Sunday night, at 9:00 p.m. ETZ, the entire baseball team held a sacrificial bonfire to rid us of the curse, and appease the baseball gods. (Team chaplain, Jesse Froese who made a BIG DEAL about it, would like me to remind you that in no way does the baseball team, nor Cedarville University promote or actually accept polytheistic religious beliefs. It’s a team building exercise, not a cult.) Each member from the team was required to bring one meaningful, baseball related, item to burn as a symbolic fresh start to the remainder of the season.
Items included t-shirts, team shoes, old hats, a bullet, worn-down belts, a batting helmet, the Combat Pitcher, our lifting Sheets, a pair of khakis, and a jar of mayonnaise. One player brought his girlfriend (whom fortunately was not sacrificed) to a team function, cough… Lenhardt. Each player explained how this item had held the team down this season, presented it to the fire, and partook in a ceremonial handful of Big League Chew.
The ceremony commenced with he team circling the fire, holding hands (each finger interlocked because… team chemistry, duh), and sang a terrible rendition of Kum Ba Yah.
While the evening was a success, it remains to be seen whether or not the ceremony will pay dividends on the field as expected. Follow the Yellow Jackets this week in their attempt to break "the curse." (@ Ashland on Tuesday, and home vs. Trevecca this weekend).
Freshman Spotlight
C (#36) - Corey Adkins
Corey, the Amish kid, isn’t actually from Amish country. He’s from California, or Indiana, or…I’m not sure exactly. Corey’s positive attitude, sneaky power, gold mini-van (with California plates), and ability to close games when needed are great assets to the team. Corey’s blatant disregard for our sponsors, wearing a Nike undershirt when Under Armour sponsors us, is also another thing we love about him. Corey told us in an exclusive interview that he prefers Mike N’ Ikes over hot tamales, and that his preferred cellular company is Verizon. Corey guessed that the movie, "The Sandlot" had a run time of 1 hour and 15 minutes (he was wrong, 1 hour and 41 minutes). In a split second estimate, Corey claimed he could peel a cutie orange in less than 8 seconds. If Corey could pick any nickname, he said he would pick "squirt", so when you see squirt around on campus give him a big hug and then get him to class.
Quote of the Week
"Is she cool, or is she playing hard to get?"- Drew Johnson
Weekly Award
Rogaine Best Hair award presented in affiliation with Bosley, the world’s best hair restoration product.
**Awarded to Jesse Bush whom, through a series of unfortunate events, received a less-than- stellar buzz cut… here’s to wearing hats this week**
Mailbag
How many seams are on a college baseball? - (Jamie, Pensacola)
Jamie, great question, have you heard of Google? Yes, bus rides are a blast, thanks for asking. When we go on trips less than three hours we typically take three Cedarville vans, and this involves some strategy on the part of the players. So, here’s some advice…
Jaden Cleland’s Five Tips for Van Rides
1.) Don’t ride with Coach Manes!!!
2.) Don’t over pack, there’s limited space.
3.) Pick a van with a good DJ
4.) Bring snacks for everyone, or none at all.
5.) Don’t ride with Coach Manes!!!
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to
jadencleland@cedarville.edu, and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
March 15, 2016
Off the bat I’d like to announce to all the moms out there that we did arrive safely back in Cedarville Sunday afternoon, so you can stop worrying. The fact that we arrived back safely was hands down the best part of the ride home, which somehow crammed 15 hours of driving into 22.
From all 30 guys eating Taco Bell in the middle of a 22-hour bus ride to coach turning on the movie Everest on full blast at 7:00 in the morning, the ride back was nearly as memorable as the time spent in Clearwater.
In actual baseball news, catcher Corey Adkins, second baseman Ross Melchior, and right fielder Nate Bancroft all made their pitching debuts much to the chagrin of the scoreboard in a loss against Missouri-St. Louis. I’ve learned the only thing worse than getting beat 35-10 is having to explain how it happened to everyone you meet upon returning to campus. While the game wasn’t the closest in Jacket baseball history, it did provide opportunities for young players to get their feet wet at new positions, and an opportunity for us to humble ourselves as a team.
Upon our return to the Buckeye State, we have attempted to settle into everyday life like super heroes assimilating into society as average Joe’s. Indoor practices begin again, freshmen (mostly Brent) remain confused about practice times and location, and the group chat continues to thrive. Pat a baseball player on the back this week, and remember we aren’t heroes. We’re just everyday citizens just trying to do our part.
Freshman Spotlight
2B (#22) – Ross Melchior
What to say about Ross...I mean…he’s funny. Ross Melchior (pronounce it the best you can, but no one really knows how) is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever played with. He brings young leadership, a GPA boost to the squad, plays a mean second base, and apparently pitches, too. This 200-pound second baseman is a biology major from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Have you ever been there? No? You’d love it there. Ross answered a few questions for us today. Ross has never played the board game "Risk" and has never heard of Destiny’s Child, so he ruined two of my questions. If Ross could describe his hair with one word, it would be "riggins" (strangely enough, that’s a perfect description, and I have no idea what that means). He spends 18 hours a week studying in the HSC (Health Something Center), and the most famous person he knows from Wyoming is Brandon Nimmo. If you see Ross on campus, please don’t disturb his studies. Politely wave and move on.
Quote of the Week
"I can’t pay for your school, but I can teach you how to get rich" - Kurt Beachy (Athletic Trainer)
Weekly Award
Stellar Speech of the Week presented by Rosetta Stone
**Awarded to Craig (The Bus Driver) for a semi-great, semi-emotional departing speech at 1:30 a.m. when we changed drivers**
Mailbag
How do you manage being a student and an athlete at the college level? Isn’t it tough with how often you miss class? - (Terry, Delaware)
Terry, first of all, let’s try to limit ourselves to one question next time instead of two (I’m on a word count). Part of being a college athlete is learning to balance your athletics with your academic requirements. Our team GPA last year was over 3.00, which shows our guy’s ability to get it done both on the field and in the classroom. Yes, it’s tough.
The baseball blog is the best-kept secret on campus this year. Tweet the link, share it with your friends, print it out and mail it to your grandmother, etc.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to
jadencleland@cedarville.edu I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
March 9, 2016
We’ve had an interesting first week of the season down here in beautiful Clearwater, Florida. If I had to choose one word to describe the festivities from the Sunshine State, it would be "Camradidity". Riley learned this week that there are some misspellings even spell check can’t fix, and that can be embarrassing in the group chat.
There are certain things that make each season and trip memorable, and team camaraderie has been the forefront of this Spring Break. The Jackets took to social media this week to pick on each other, as only brothers know how. From calling out your roommate for a cheesy photo caption or a "tbh" post ("To Be Honest", for the parents) to using the hash tag #IfYouWantPunchedInTheJaw, this trip has been social media friendly.
Another aspect has been the up-close, and very personal, insights into the life of closer, Jordan Adams. Closers are a strange breed of pitcher and Adams, in typical closer fashion, leads the team in strangest personalities and most questionable hygiene methods.
Part of playing college baseball is the crazy amount of time you spend with your teammates and coaches. Like any family, we love each other, make fun of each other, and hold each other accountable. Also, like a family, we get annoyed with each other, and this Spring Break trip has been a great bonding experience for our team. Our focus on brotherhood has and will continue to pay dividends on the field, and in the lives of our closest friends: our teammates.
Freshman Spotlight
RHP (#28) – Riley Landrum
Riley has taken the Cedarville social media scene by storm in his first year on campus, but it isn’t simply his 17.3k tweets that we love about him. Riley brings a solid beard, love of the game, and an interesting ghetto/country taste in music to the team that was absent in previous years. Riley is a Sports Business Management major from Amanda, Ohio (#GoAces). Mr. Landrum’s favorite Star Wars movie is "Return of the Jedi". Riley showers, on average, twice a day: once around 8:15 a.m.and again in the evening after dinner. Riley also estimated that he could hold his breath for 39 seconds, and that he could eat at least 23 hot dogs in an hour. So if you see this guy around, give him a pat on the back and put those estimates to the test.
Quotes of the Week
"I’ve thought about wearing women’s pants before" – Gunnar Stinson
Weekly Award
Grown Man Swing of the Week presented by GoDaddy.com
**Awarded to Drew Johnson for hitting the longest double in the history of Jack Russell Stadium**
Mailbag
What do you guys do in your free time? – (Jenny, South Carolina)
Great question Jenny (who is totally a real person). Down time is spent sleeping, watching movies, playing Halo, beating Tampa, updating Linked In accounts, odd challenges, and cautiously opening Jordan Adams’ snap chats.
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to
jadencleland@cedarville.edu and I'll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
March 1, 2016
Hello Yellow Jacket fans (parents), and welcome to the 2016 Baseball Blog. My name is Jaden Cleland: junior, catcher, art fanatic, motivational speaker, and vanilla bean ice cream advocate. I’m excited that you’ve chosen to join our team and myself on this adventurous journey through the ups and downs of an exciting season of collegiate athletics.
I must first pay tribute to the blog writers of old, Mr. Harrison Martin and Mr. Chris Fox, for their loyal contributions to Yellow Jacket history.
If you’re looking for enamored posts about America’s pastime with a titch of satire, you’ve clicked on exactly the right link. This baseball blog will not consist of anything you might stumble upon in the box score, nor the various Yellow Jacket social media sites. I will attempt to inform you on the inside jokes, the uncountable sayings, the peculiar pre-game habits, the questionable road-trip room pairings, and a host of other details on the inner workings of the "squad".
I would like to pay tribute to the elder, battle-worn, Jedi masters of the team: The Seniors.
RHP (#1) – Connor Hamilton (CJ-Ham)
RHP (#6) – Jordan Adams (Slow-Talker)
RHP (#7) – Garrett Baker (Bake)
LHP (#9) – David Bancroft (Dave)
RHP (#19) – Jesse Froese (Canada)
OF (#34) – David Lenhardt (Lenfart)
I have had the honor of spending the past two years with this fine group of men, and I couldn’t think of a more solid group to lead this team; both on the field through this season, and off the field through their humility and desire to live like Christ. And, that’ll be the only sappy post of the year. I try not to make it weird.
Freshman Spotlight
2B (#27) - Dan Llerena [Two "LL"s make a "y" sound, its Cuban guys (and gals)]
In his short duration as a Yellow Jacket, Daniel has shown a multitude of skills. First, we must appreciate his flow (this is the part of the blog where I inform the parents that "flow" means hair, it’s a millennial thing). Second, Dan’s humor, pencil-thin mustache, and decision to not wear an undershirt in this picture are why we love him. Dan is a Youth Ministry major, and has graciously answered a few questions so that you may better get to know him. According to Daniel, his favorite food is a "piada noodle bowl" (whatever that is), his favorite movie is "Law Abiding Citizen", and the last time he cried was when he left his family to come to school this fall. Here’s to Dan!!!
Quote of the Week
"I still hold the high jump record at Kenton Ridge High School" – Coach Galbreath
Weekly Award
The Tardy Toddler Award presented by Timex
**Awarded to Gunnar Stinson for getting some extra rest before the Florida trip**
Mailbag
Email questions about the team, our schedule, expectations, or what you’d like to see in the next blog to
jadencleland@cedarville.edu and I’ll answer them in the next blog.
Thanks for reading,
Big Mamu
Jaden Cleland is a junior catcher from Springfield, Ohio. He is in his third season with the Yellow Jackets and is majoring in pre-law.
