Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 1, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

With our season coming to a close this coming weekend I wanted to present some “season superlatives”. 

Let’s start with the position players:

Most likely to pinch run: Micah Stewart. Have you seen those legs move? The kid moves like he is running from someone after stealing their long board and air pods. Of course, he is renowned for his famous phrase “see ya” which he coined after flying out to the left fielder in an intra squad game. Thankfully he hasn’t used it in a game situation. 

Most likely to be called out on a strike at least one foot out of the zone: Jadon Ambrose. This happens to everyone, but it seemed to happen to Jordan (not a spelling error - just keep moving) more frequently than others. We think it may be because the umpires are sick of his announcement of the top of the order. 

Most likely to twitch their leg at the plate: Matt Biermann. It’s like he constantly has his knee being tapped by a doctor to test his reflexes when he’s in the box. I think this guy just spends too much time practicing his swing in the bathroom mirror.

Most likely to get a concussion from hitting themselves with a bat: Turner White. I think it would be less true if he only tapped his helmet with the bat once per plate appearance. But that’s not the case. It occurs before every pitch. I don’t blame the guy, though. You’d have to hit something too if  “Through the Fire and the Flames” was your walk-up song. 

Most likely to become YouTube famous: Chase Springmeyer. This kid is going to make it big time. He has the hair of Noah Syndergaard and the facial hair of Uncle Rico. Tell me that’s not the ideal makings of an internet sensation. 

And the pitchers:

Most likely to have an outing without throwing a fastball: Noah Schleinitz. This is shocking considering his nickname on the team is “Aroldis” after flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. Why throw your 96 MPH fastball when your 76 MPH curve ball strikes out just as many guys?

Most likely to break your hand playing catch: Andrew Dunbar. For as much of a sloth as this kid’s body language and body movements may make him appear, he will put that to rest quickly with one throw. 

Most likely to become TAP Baseball World Leaders: Hunter Kraynak and Conner TenHove. You do what you want when you’re above 6'3"' I guess. Or if you shoot 98% from the free throw line (Hunter of course). 

Most likely to sing “Country Roads” even if we aren’t in West Virginia: Max Miller. Not surprising if you’ve ever met Max. He has to cheer himself up somehow after that West Virginia football season. 


 

This week’s Freshman Highlight:

Braden “Bean” Dauterman
Hometown: Bloomdale, OH

Height: 6'5"
Weight: Skinny



Facts about Braden:
+ He is rumored to have been able to dunk a basketball since exiting the womb. 
+ He neither confirms nor denies that he has considered going pro in Clash Royale. 
+ Says that contrary to popular opinion, he has not been considered for the role of “Groot” in Guardians of the Galaxy 3. 


Our two graduating seniors, Ross Melchior and Markus Neff, also deserve some recognition as their time at Cedarville comes to an end. These guys have done a lot for the program on and off the field, and we know that they are going to be successful in whatever they pursue moving forward. 

It’s been fun letting you all get to know our guys this year, and I truly do appreciate any time you spent reading about us. We have a special group and we are looking forward to continuing to play the game we love and glorify God in the process.

Thanks again, and as always - Go Jackets!  

- Trace


April 15, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

We’ve passed the halfway point of our season, and it is definitely becoming a grind. The injuries are a little more prevalent and the weeks are long. It’s what you might call the “dog days” of a season. We are doing our best to stay healthy and make a push for the conference tournament. 

Some highlights from the last few weeks:

We had walk-off wins in back-to-back weekends. Logan Eby had a walk-off hit to beat Oakland City in extra innings, and Matt Biermann had a walk-off grand slam to beat Kentucky Wesleyan this past weekend. Matt was even lucky enough to get a shout out from Dr. White in Monday’s chapel. 

Contrary to popular belief, Markus Neff did not have any walk-off hits this weekend. His run is just the same speed as everyone else’s walk. 

Elliot Gilmore received an award for his academic achievements at last week’s awards chapel. Always good to see a baseball player dressed up in chapel.

In other news, there’s been a mild prank played on the team recently:

Early in April, there were sticky notes on many of our cars after we finished a practice. The notes mentioned that the prank was revenge for our post-practice honking that happens frequently. In true baseball team fashion, the honking that day was louder than it had ever been. 

Eyewitness reports confirmed to me that the suspects were a male (approx. 5’10") and a female (approx. 5’7") in jeans. We then discovered a number of our cars in various locations with a very clear message written on them: “Hi :)”. These concerning messages were clearly calculated and aimed towards our team. We are asking for your help in locating the suspects of these heinous crimes. Any tips or information can be relayed to a member of the team via spoken word, email, or call (dial Star 69 for safety). 

 

Freshman Highlight:

Alan Perry 
Hometown: Seymour, IN

+ Alan was a three-sport stud in high school. He played football, basketball, and baseball. Rumor has it he peaked in high school, but he denies these claims fervently.
+ He is a fan of the nearby Cincinnati Reds, and I think he may be “sick” and missing practice more often in future weeks if you know what I mean. 
+ As an English education major, Alan is bound to shape and mold young minds with his extremely vast array of words.


We play single games Tuesday vs. Kentucky State in Cincinnati and Wednesday at home against Ohio Christian followed by a four-game set this weekend at home against Trevecca, so any support would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and as always, Go Jackets.

- Trace


April 3, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

We’ve had quite the busy schedule these last two weeks/weekends, with a total of 10 conference games played in the span of one week. We won a few games and lost a lot of close ones, and this “break” in the season is much needed this week. 

Even though we played 10 games, I’m not sure if we spent more time playing or tarping and untarping the field. We basically have it down to a science, and we probably did save the field from going underwater after the monsoon that occurred this past weekend.
 

Our Freshman Highlight this week is none other than Jadon Ambrose:

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Also known as “Jordan”, “Drippy J”, or “Jambrose”, you can find this kid on the corners of the infield. His verbal skills are uncanny in the dugout, and you can rest assured that he knows when the top of the order is coming up for the opposition. He also sports a chain with a “J” on it that is as big as the letters on our jerseys (just in case you forgot how to spell his name). 

We play three games this weekend against non-conference opponent Oakland City, and your support would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading and as always, Go Jackets!

~ Trace



March 21, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

We had a long weekend due to cancellations after arriving at the field and long games. We split with Ohio Valley to start G-MAC play and will look to go up from there.

Being back at school reminded the team of a few things:

Obviously the weather in Cedarville is not like the weather in Florida. The sun was out for some parts of our games but Emille Terre was still shivering like we were in Antarctica.

Our passion for the game "Rock Band" is still going strong after a brief hiatus from our locker room. There is debate amongst the team whether Drew Minnich and Mason Cross log more practice hours in baseball or this game (I’m not complaining and you wouldn’t be either if you heard Drew sing "Free Bird").

Practicing outside allowed us to remember how much we love letting the rest of campus know when practice is over via the car horn. Sorry, Campus Safety.
 

Freshmen Highlight:

Tanner Gillis - Buffalo, NY and Turner White - Pittsburgh, PA

There is no option but to pair them together. These are two of the goofiest kids you will run into on campus, and the antics between them never stop.

Facts:

+ If these two were not playing college baseball, they would both have earned scholarships for Guitar Hero (yes, that’s a real thing).

+ At any given moment, catch them fist bumping each other with their mouths wide open.

+ Their most common "ism" is ending every word with an A- for example "Tanna" and "Turna" and then, yet again, leaving their mouth hanging wide open with an excited look for a significant period of time.

+ One of these two is the second most athletic member of their family. Just saying.
 

We host Tiffin for a four-game set this weekend, so make sure to come out and support as we look to get back on track in G-MAC play. As always, #GoJackets.

- Trace

March 11, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

We have returned from the Sunshine State, and it was a trip for the books. Good baseball, good weather, and some not so good karaoke were just a few of the happenings from this 12-day experience. My bus comrade Noah Schleinitz and I took the time to calculate how much time we spent on the bus during this road trip, and the total was approximately 34 hours.
 

Some highlights from the trip:

+ Before loading onto the bus for the trip, Riley Landrum launched himself off of a bike into the SSC doors and nearly shattered the glass. For a minute we thought he was down for the count, but thankfully he arose unharmed.

+ Tanner Gillis came through huge for the program by securing about 10 solid movies to kill some time on the bus.

+ We discovered that freshman pitcher Logan Wynalda has a fear of bridges.

+ Coach Kip Ferguson honked the horn on the bus more times than we can count. He also manages to squeeze through VERY narrow paths in the middle of developments, much to the entertainment of the team.

+ As a first-year player, I had no idea that Coach Rob (Nate Robinson to the common people) can DJ with the best of them. Trainer Kurt also has great taste in music for those who were not aware.

+ Finally and most importantly, our guy Connor Culhane was baptized during the trip, which was a cool experience for the whole team to be a part of.
 

Freshman Highlight:

Payton Eeles - Acworth, GA
Facts about Payton:

* Loves anything related to Chicago (sports, food, etc.)

* Is listed at 5’8" on the roster but is actually only 5’6"

* During a baseball game, he used his chest to stop a ground ball rather than his glove just to prove a point

* Says he is the single best ping pong player on the baseball roster

While our record still may not be where we’d like it, we finished the trip with some promising games and will look to carry some momentum into this week. The trip was an overall success, and we are excited to open G-MAC play this week against Ohio Valley on Thursday and Friday at Prasco Park in Mason, OH. Go Jackets!

- Trace

February 27, 2019

What’s goin’ on?

Just a few hours from now we will be headed to the Sunshine State to get our season rolling. We were able to take one of two games from Kentucky State this past weekend, and it was great to finally play someone other than ourselves. Now for some awards from the first road trip - let’s talk to it.

Best Instagram Live Video:

This one was a tough decision. We had teammates going head-to-head to see who could get their “clout” up.   

Senior Hunter Kraynak was joined by Noah Schleinitz and myself for a short live session, which at one point was comprised of 10 whole viewers! Not to mention a comment was left by a special someone with the “heart eyes” emoji, which really excited Mr. Kraynak. Overall the content of this session was average but the viewer numbers raised it a bit. Score: 5/10. 

Riley Landrum was joined by freshman Jadon Ambrose as well as the muffled voice of Markus Neff in the background for a lengthier session. Though there was some promoting done for this one, the viewer numbers never really seemed to take off and at its peak saw only eight viewers. Even with a lack of viewers, this show was a great representative of one of our team mottos: just keep coming. These men were persistent in their efforts and continued to deliver some good content for all eight viewers. Just a real real great group of guys. Score: 7/10

Most Gullible Freshman:

Austin Brown - Those who know this good ol’ Texas boy know that he is a very nice and polite young fella. That is why he was very cordial when the Hampton Inn Front Desk gave him a call in his hotel room the night before our games. He answered questions with “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am”, and even went the extra mile and fulfilled the receptionist’s request of making his bed in the morning. What a sweet boy. The problem was that this receptionist was none other than our very own Ross Melchior (AKA Shredder, Mr. SAAC guy) having a little fun with Austin. It’s a real real great sport.

Freshman Highlight:

Kevin Zhang - Toronto, Canada

How many languages do you speak?
English, French, and “Hoodman”- phrases like “chill”, “wagwan”, “respects”

How many lo-mein noodles could you fit in your mouth at once?
Over 50.

If you were a movie character, who would you be?
Po from Kung Fu Panda. I love dumplings. 

Is water wet?
No - because….I’m changing my answer. Water is wet. If it touches something it is wet.

Biggest snakes on the team?
Jadon Ambrose, Logan Wynalda, and Micah Stewart. I might have to get the lawn mower out soon to get them out of the grass.


Little does Kevin know that we were baiting him by seeing if he would call out other guys on the team. Therefore, the biggest snake in the Cedarville baseball program is in fact Kevin Zhang.

Thanks for checking in,

- Trace


February 20, 2019