Aug. 12, 2008

As I look out from my office window over what used to be the PE building parking lot, I think about how summer vacation is nearly over and the Viking baseball players are only about a week away from returning to campus. It's an exciting time at CSU for several reasons.

The first reason is all the physical changes taking place on campus. I have a front row seat to the construction of the education building, and I also drive by the University Center and RTA Transit Center construction sites every morning and afternoon. I feel like I have something new to point out to recruits and their parents every time we make a campus visit. I joined the CSU athletic staff two years ago and have been amazed at how quickly the campus has changed and I'm excited to see how different it will look again in two short years.

The second reason is the cultural change happening at CSU. The athletic department's successes have reflected the growth of CSU as a whole recently. As I'm sure all of you know by now, the Vikings won the McCafferty Trophy for the first time since CSU joined the Horizon League. This is important because it not only signifies the accomplishments of our teams last season, but it also demonstrates the backing of the athletic department as a whole by our administration and campus community. President Schwartz, Athletic Director Lee Reed and Associate Athletic Director Tom Tontimonia have provided the leadership and vision for the entire athletic department to be successful, but everyone from the faculty and staff to all the support personnel have made this transformation possible. We don't always thank them enough, but our players appreciate the enthusiasm and support they've received and understand how it is helping change CSU's reputation in the community.

Speaking of players, another reason for excitement in the baseball program is the optimism generated by a productive season last spring that promises of even better things next year. While we didn't achieve all the goals we set for ourselves, progress was seen in many areas. We won over 20 games in a season for the first time since 2001, and also placed players (Brad Buell and Alex Kerins) on the All-Horizon League first team for the first time since 2001.

Junior left-handed pitcher Josh Hungerman was drafted by the Colorado Rockies and seniors Josh Geric and Alex Kerins were signed to play professional baseball by the Washington Wild Things and Gateway Grizzles of the Frontier League. 2007 graduate Steve Procner is also pitching well for the Aberdeen Ironbirds of the Baltimore Orioles organization.

Several single season team and individual marks were broken last year, in addition to the team placing high in some NCAA statistical categories. Our guys also turned in another solid semester in the classroom with an overall team GPA of 2.9 and seven players on the Dean`s List. We return a great nucleus of players who have bought into Coach Kocks' system to go along with a recruiting class filled with impact players. We can't wait to see them all on campus and begin working with them this fall.

So as I look out my window at the empty dirt lot that will soon become the 36 million dollar College of Education and Student Services Building, it reminds me of the foundation our players have built over the last couple of years and the promise it brings for the near future.