Kendall Hazel | Assistant News Co-Editor

We fall in love with the game as kids. We play for as long as we can. We dream of playing college baseball. We dream of playing in the big leagues. We dream of playing the game of baseball for our entire lives…

But then that day comes. Our time is up—we are told that we can’t play anymore. Some get told in high school. Some get told in college. That time is coming for the seniors on this baseball team. That time is coming for me.

But we were lucky. We got to live the dream for four more years. We got to play Division III baseball, and playing DIII baseball is something special.

DIII baseball is one of the greatest things in sports. We don’t get athletic scholarships to play sports at the DIII level. That’s fine. We don’t care. Baseball, at any collegiate level, doesn’t ever to seem to gain the same national attention as football or basketball. That’s fine. We don’t care. Here in Iowa, playing a spring sport means playing in really cold weather (shout out to softball). That’s fine. We don’t care. Playing a spring sport means practicing inside of the rec center, often times from 9:00-11:00 at night (shout out to softball again). That’s fine. We don’t care.

We play baseball at BVU because we love the game and we love each other. I took the liberty of asking each senior on the team why they played college baseball. The answers came with no surprise.

Tanner Truesdell: “For the love of the game.”
Tyson Valentine: “Because I love the sport.”
Charlie Ruff: “For the love of the game.”
Wes Onken: “The team atmosphere.”
Brandon Wessels: “Because I love it.”
Justin Lange: “I love the sport.”
Ryan Duncan: “I love it.”
Adam Bernstorf: “Because I love the sport.”
Neil Marshall: “Because I love the game.”
Bennett Mann: “I enjoy playing, and I just wanted to keep playing.”

As for me, I’ve loved the game since I could pick up a ball. Just like these guys, playing baseball is more than just a hobby. It is a way of life. For us, loving the game means more than just loving baseball. It isn’t the scores or the stats that drive us. It is the memories and the brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.

I can’t tell you our record from freshmen year. All I remember is that I snaked a win from our starter Jon Ringblom in our first game and everyone called me a “slithery little snake” for the rest of the year. I also remember that senior Brennan Holm and I got to get an at-bat in the JV game in Tucson, and I struck out on a check-swing. Apparently that was hilarious for everyone else… not so hilarious for me. I speak for all my fellow seniors when I say that our seniors were some of the coolest, most genuine people we ever met. McCorkle 5 was always the place to be.

I can’t tell you our record from sophomore year. What I can tell you is that sophomore year was when Bernie (Adam Bernstorf) coined the phrase, “See ya, Turkey,” (it is ok if you don’t understand). I will always remember when the hotel in Tulsa charged us like $18 for breakfast, and Coach Eddie almost lost his mind when he saw our bill. We got Denny’s the next day. Coach Eddie’s frustration with the Tulsa hotel quickly receded when he fell in love with the song “Happy” by Pharrel while we were in Tucson. He needed that song in his life because he was stuck driving the pitching staff around that entire week. With the likes of Scott Harris, Cam Beatty, and Adam Bernstorf, that was not an easy task. Sophomore year was also the year when my best friend and I, Tanner Truesdell, along with many others, got to experience our first ever dog-pile. We won conference and won the tournament. What a friggin’ ride, man.

I can’t tell you our record from junior year. But, I definitely remember the moment when some kid from Carroll University thought he could tag up at 3rd and make it home on a fly ball to right. Bennett Mann had other plans and threw a perfect ball to make the kid look stupid for even trying. I will always remember coming home from Chicago and the bus erupting when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets in Miracle (we do believe in miracles, Al Michaels). Junior year was also when I got to see former high school teammate Thomas Wisecup get an RBI single in his first ever at-bat. Wish he would have done more of that for me in high school (love you, Tom). Junior year was also when I learned how truly special it is to be on this team…

After our season ended at the conference tournament last year, Coach Eddie said something that will forever speak to my heart. As we all prepared to say goodbye to our seniors, hurriedly wiping our eyes to keep the illusion that we weren’t actually tearing up, Coach explained just how lucky we are to have one another. He told us about a reunion he had with his University of Iowa baseball team. When he went, he had to re-introduce himself to some of his former teammates. He told us how we would never experience that. He told us how he envied how close we all are to one another. He used words like “family” and “brothers.” He was right. This is a family. That goes for all the teams on the BVU campus. Look around: soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, softball, track, wrestling, tennis, golf, cheer—they all stick together. When you play at BVU, you take care of each other. We are all families because when you play any college sport, you remember your roots—where you came from—who you play for.

“Who do you play for?”
Tanner Truesdell: “I play for my Grandma Bernice.”
Tyson Valentine: “My mom.”
Charlie Ruff: “My high school coach who passed away. I play for him.”
Wes Onken: “Coach Dupic.”
Brandon Wessels: “Derek Jeter.”
Justin Lange: “My family.”
Ryan Duncan: “My family.”
Adam Bernstorf: “Goldy [Paul Goldschmidt].”
Neil Marshall: “Derek Jeter.”
Bennett Mann: “My brother.”
Kendall Hazel: “My dad.”

The response is almost all the same. We play for our teammates, and we play for our families. Thanks for breaking the mold, Brandon, Neil, and Bernie. Derek Jeter is the man. Goldy is ok, too.

BVU baseball has been my life for the last 3 ½ years. I’m on this bus with three amazing coaches and 25 brothers. I have two incredibly dedicated parents that will do everything they can to watch me play. I have a sister who loves watching me play, and I have a brother that never fails to make sure I give my best effort. Playing baseball at Buena Vista University has been the greatest part of my life.

I have one more season. I need to finish typing this thing. I have some amazing memories waiting to be made.

Photo courtesy of Kendall Hazel