Life After Varsity: Club Baseball Swings for Title

The town might be in the middle of nowhere, but a trip to Paducah, Ky., had been our dream since day one. After reaching the Club Baseball World Series in 2012, the Maryland D2 club team sighted a championship in 2013.

The National Club Baseball Association is home to over 245 collegiate club teams in the United States. The NCBA is driven to provide collegiate student-athletes with the opportunity to play competitive, organized college baseball, and to continually enhance this experience for all participants, according to clubbaseball.org. Each student athlete is required to pay dues in order to be eligible to compete in the league.

A disappointing regular season left us with three games left to play against rival Loyola University, needing to win two of those contests.

We wouldn’t let our goals slip away, sweeping the series to capture the division title for the third straight season. But we weren’t done there.

The regional tournament in Martinsville, Va., still stood in the way of our World Series dreams.

Finally we stepped back on a smooth playing surface at Martinsville’s former Minor League stadium. The grass was as flat as a tabletop. Advertisements lined the outfield wall. A true contender, Longwood University lined up along side us for the National anthem.

Brian Black, our ace, faced up against theirs, Brett Draper.

The pitchers duel lived up to the hype. Draper, a big left-hander but not a hard-thrower, possessed a change-up, which seemed to disappear into the catchers mitt.

But we battled and squeaked out a 3-2 victory. In the double elimination tournament, we were sure we would see them again.

Sure enough, after defeating Radford University in game two, Longwood stood opposite us again in game three. Sure enough their workhorse, Draper, was on the hill again.

This time we knew how to handle him. First basemen Alex Suggs ripped a bases-clearing triple down the right field line in the sixth inning to secure a 5-1 win and another trip to Paducah.

Suggs, who transferred to Maryland after two seasons playing Division III baseball at Greensboro College, seized the opportunity to play the sport he loved for two more years. The Maryland Club Baseball program gave him that opportunity.

“I have been playing since I was five years old,” Suggs said. “Once I knew I was leaving Greensboro College I thought I would never play again.”

Suggs attributes his and the team’s success to the inclusiveness of his teammates.

“The team genuinely likes each other and makes a serious effort to hang out with each other away from the baseball field,” said the senior. “Talent is important, but it’s not the only factor when it comes to success on the field.”

Though our tightly knit group of guys was excited to win the region, we knew our journey to a National title was just beginning.

We became closer as friends as we approached our season-long goal.

“Chemistry definitely helped our team,” added Mike Toomer, second basemen. “We meshed really well on and off the field, which contributed to our success.”

The success continued from Martinsville to Paducah. Black, who lost one time in the regular season in five-plus starts, took the mound for us in game one.

He got off to a rough start, giving up a run in the first inning. Our surefire ace fought back for a complete game to finish off SIU-Edwardsville 2-1. The victory marked Maryland D2 club baseball’s first ever win at the World Series.

It was a special moment we shared as a team but we knew there was more baseball to be played.

After a full days rest, we headed back out to the Minor League stadium to face our toughest competition all season: Kennesaw State.

Their pitcher threw in the mid-80s, with a slider that broke off the table. They launched balls to the fence, but we caught (most of) them.

The balls that dropped were costly, leading to a 6-3 Kennesaw victory. Our hopes were not all lost, knowing the tournament was double elimination.

I spent the first two games manning the bench, trying to steal the other teams’ signs. I got my chance to take the field in an elimination game three.

When I saw my name written in the starting lineup, I was determined to make the most of the opportunity.

The sun set below the trees in center field as we warmed up. I felt like a ballplayer. To have my name announced the moment I stepped up to the plate was a dream come true.

I had to come through and help my team. And I did.

With a runner on second base and one out, I slapped a slider up the middle for an RBI single for our first run of the game.

I collected two singles in four at-bats in the contest versus Northeastern and Maryland won the game 6-1 to advance to the semifinals.

With our backs against the wall, we faced Kennesaw State once again in an elimination game.

Brian Black took the mound, giving us the best chance to win. But the Owls quickly capitalized on his fatigue and jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first inning.

We knew a six-run deficit was tough to comeback from but the team did not quit.

We hadn’t quit all season and weren’t going to. We scrapped away at their lead and put runs on the scoreboard, only to fall short 15-9.

Yes, our season came to an end. Yes, we came up a bit short of our goal. But everyone on the team accomplished something and we held our heads high.

Club baseball is for those who love of the game. It’s about continuing to compete in the sport we never want to stop playing.

We fell short of our goal, but we lived the dream in Paducah.