Robert Morris Sports Issue 1

ALSO FEATURED:

WomensTennisVictory

INSIDE LOOK

AND MORE...

Pat Kustok

2nd Base

Madilyn Joyce

1st Base

TRAINING DAYS RMU’S FINEST ATHLETES

Serving the Community. Creating Opportunity. Experiential Teaching.

TEN CAMPUSES, THIRTY-ONE SPORTS, ONE GOAL!*

PAVING THE WAY

Smashville This is a picture I took while in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena.

This was the only game that the Blackhawks won against Nashville since Halloween night 2011. I was shocked when arriving in Nashville to see hundreds upon hundreds of Hawks fans. It was a bit sad to say but I felt bad for Nashville, Chicago had a bigger cheering section then the home team.

It was a high scoring battle to the bitter end with lots of “sober” Hawks fans hitting the streets of Smashville, for just “one” more drink.

Photograph by: Andrew Krizik

PAVING THE WAY

Sox vs. Sox With Boston in town taking on the Chicago White Sox, it’s kind of hard to choose a side in a “Sox vs. Sox” match-up. Both teams bring an equal excitement factor when taking the field. As you can see, this fills the seats for this such occasion. And what a wonderful display of America’s pastime caught in the great city of Chicago.

Photograph by: Mike Oleshko

PAVING THE WAY

Horseplay A woman needs two animals: The horse of her dreams and a jackass to pay for it.

Here we see Jessica Eckert sharing a bonding moment with a beautiful pony named Nick.

They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits. And this is a wonderful glimpse of some recreational time.

Photograph by: Sam Sellers

Also featured*

GAME, SET, MATCH!

THIRD TIMES A CHARM

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ROAD TO GLORY*

TAKE A LOOK AT... p.30 Player Biographies

volleyball player Nadejda Ivanova

softball player Natalie RIECHERS Baseball Player David Sindewald

Volume 1 Issue 1

Summer 2012

Departments & Columns p.14

TECH TALK

p.15

CAPITAL GAIN

p.37

WILL IT PLAY IN PEORIA?

INSIDE LOOK

p.48 A look at catchers Matt Toomey and Leah Challenger on how they call there game.

p.56 What do coaches look for in their

players? Find out.

38 TRAINING DAYS*

p.60

PRESSURE? WHAT PRESSURE?

p.62

FANTASY BASEBALL

p.66

THE FALLEN

etter

PUBLISHER

RM Publications

EDITOR IN CHIEF Michael Oleshko

Michael Maskas Agnes Rowsey Kristen Sonntag

DESIGNERS

Michael Oleshko Michael Maskas Caitlyn Dabbs

WRITERS

Michael Oleshko Ebony Robinson Michael Kennedy Evin McCrimon Ruby Martinez Caitlyn Dabbs

CONTRIBUTORS

MAGAZINE CREW

EDITORS

Alan Landini Agnes Rowsey

FACULTY ADVISOR

Agnes Rowsey

Robert Morris University 401 S. State Street Chicago, IL 60605 Phone: 800.762.5960

From The

Editor et me just start by saying that I would like to thank everyone that helped assist in the contributions, writings, design and creativity going into this publication. Originally, the content that you see here all went into an Interactive Publication for Robert Morris. I had decided to create a print version in the meantime. I feel that this would get out sooner to the public than the Interactive version, which is still under review at Robert Morris University. It’s unfortunate that it has taken this long for something to become published, but life doesn’t seem to adhere to other peoples time tables. I would like to extend my gratitude to the University though, with giving me an opportunity to create such a wonderful publication. Volumes 1, Issue 1 & Issue 2 should be coming out very soon. Then you will be able to interact with them on your iPad as intended. I again would like to extend my thanks to my Faculty Advisor, Agnes Rowsey for her knowledge and experience, as well as her constant support through the entire process. This publication is dedicated to all the magazine crew, as well as contributors and of course the players that made all the content possible. Thank You!

EDITOR IN CHIEF

The

Experience University

Robert Morris University Interested in being a part of Robert Morris Football?

CONTACT HEAD COACH

Jared Williamson 847-718

6710

jwilliamson@

robertmorris.edu

DON’T SETTLE FOR AN INCOMPLETE SPORTS DRINK.

SportsDEPARTMENT

Article By: Michael Oleshko

The advancement of technology has been

astonishing .

And for the sports world , it

has just advanced that

T

much further .

he use of technology in sports has made a great impact on the way many sports are played today. And actually, technology plays a major role is sports today. But not only does it affect the way athletes perform, but also technology is changing the way fans watch and interact with sporting events. In some cases it’s changing the sports themselves.

But what are some of those special tech toys that we find so typical nowadays? You might be surprised that the technology we have today isn’t actually all electronics. The bats and

14

gloves and other gadgets for baseball; how NFL players beat the winter chill; the breakdown and anatomy of a basketball free throw; tennis rackets, golf clubs and soccer balls; and how an iPad could revolutionize the NFL.

It’s impossible to cover all the tech that encompasses all sports in the world. But lets start with the Great American Pastime. Since its origination in the mid 1800’s, baseball has undergone many changes and advancements in technology and technique. When it was first played, there was no such thing

as a glove used to help catch the ball. The fielders would play bare-handed, making line drives automatic hits and ground balls even harder to handle. The bat has undergone many changes as well. Batters used to hit the ball with a bat that had a flat side.

This was comparable to a cricket paddle except slightly longer and slimmer. Now, players of any age or level use bats that are cylinder shaped with a slightly wider section on the end. The amount of research and development that goes into an aluminum bat for everything from t-ball all the w a y Article Continues on page 24 www.robertmorris.edu

Capital Gain SPRINGFIELD

Article and Photograph by • Michael Kennedy

IN A CITY WHERE ONLY THE ULTRA COMPETITIVE SURVIVE, WILL THE NEXT TEAM TO COME IN BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT?

F

or the southernmost campus in the Robert Morris Illinois system, this sports season has had many shining achievements. In the capital city you can only expect the best. Robert Morris has also been the school that continues to produce only the best. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Those that achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” Here are the accomplishments for this year’s sports in Springfield.

The Springfield Women’s Cross Country had a successful season placing 2nd in their inaugural home meet back in October. The team also placed 7th in the USCAA National Invitational in Lake Placid, NY in November. Patty Schaefer got “Runner of the Week” honors this year through the USCAA after posting a time of 22:08 and finishing 2nd in the Robert Morris University Invitational marking a very impressive season for the Cross Country Team. The Women’s Volleyball Team finished the season with a 5th place finish in the USCAA National Volleyball Championship. Along with

this, 5 players finished the season with USCAA Academic All-American Honors. These players were Megan Smith, Alex Thomas, Katie Johnson, Alyssa Redd, and Amy Striker. The last of the recap highlights with the women’s basketball team they finished in 4th place in this year’s USCAA Women’s National Basketball Championships.

During the season Ashley Beal was named the Rhema Bible Tournament MVP as well

as All-Tournament she was placed on the All-Tournament with April Christie as well.

Beal was also placed on the Hope College All-Tournament team. Springfield has already been put on the map. With the rapid growth of athletes in Springfield, the competitive nature will continue to grow as well. In a city where only the ultra competitive survive will the next team to come in be able to handle it? ■

The Robert Morris Softball Team looks to capture a CCAC Conference Title, and much more. Three AllConference players return to make this dream a reality.

16

www.robertmorris.edu

Photographs and Article by: Michael Oleshko

ccacsports.com

St. Francis University in an elimination game in the 2011 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, the Robert Morris Softball team is starting there 2012 with blood in their eyes. They were on their way towards their first Conference Championship, and on their way to the national tournament in Alabama. Four lady Eagles were clear standouts during the 2011 season, in earning All-Conference Honors. Fortunately for this Robert Morris Softball Team, 3 out of 4 All-Conference players are coming back with a vengeance. Amongst these All-Conference players are second baseman Ariana Challenger, starting pitcher Samantha Arenkill, and third baseman Andrea Falco. During the off-season, the softball team took every opportunity to work on every aspect of the game at their training grounds. During a simple practice session, pitchers and catchers would condition while outfielders worked on drop-step, diving, and pop-up drills. Infielders would work on defensive situations such as double plays, bunt coverage’s, and first and third situations. Since the “Bo Dome” facility is big enough the team would be able to divide up into teams to Robert Morris Sports

scrimmage each other, getting the most game play experience during the off-season. This gave the team a chance to put everything they worked on into practice, giving them real softball situations to work on. Team camaraderie is the most important thing on and off the field.

Taking each day as it comes, practice-by-practice and winby-win, the softball team strives to leave everything they have in themselves on the field. Every game, every play, every win, and every individual on the team are all key components to achieving the ultimate goal this season.

With the amount of talent the softball team has this year, it’s hard to specify who in fact might walk away with All-Conference honors. Time will only tell to see the outcome of there current season, as well as who remains and sprouts as All-Conference players. ■

17

ALL CONFERENCE POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE SEASONS Holly Kuhl

Leah Challenger

Jori Boren

Angela Roeback

Lauren Huber

Katie Bourg

With a personal goal to hit .350 or higher this season, Challenger will do whatever it takes on the field to bring a Conference Title to the Eagles.

Although this is her final season, she knows that those that are replacing her and the other seniors are more than capable of filling their spots. And with it being Challenger’s final year, it’s bringing out a whole new player. Her mentality is to play as hard she can in every game, leaving it all on the field, because she will never get the chance to change anything that’s been done. Being a senior also comes with a leadership role. Being laid back, she tries to be as much as an influence on her teammates as she can, being as they look up to her for assistance in ways they can become better athletes for the future. Challenger knows that its going to take teamwork, and working as individuals to play the best at there position, and knows that the pitching staff they have this year is the best in the league. All this drive and motivation for Challenger has to come in part from her family and boyfriend. With so much love and support from them all, they helped her get to where she is today.

Robert Morris Sports

“SOFTBALL IS A TEAM SPORT AND NO ONE CAN CHANGE THAT. IF WE COME TOGETHER WE HAVE THE TALENT AND DRIVE TO BECOME A NATIONAL QUALIFYING TEAM THIS YEAR.” – ARIANA CHALLENGER

19

“I BELIEVE THAT IF WE ALL HAVE THE DETERMINATION AND THE HEART THAT WE CAN FIND THE WILL POWER TO ACHIEVE A CHAMPIONSHIP.” – SAMANTHA ARENKILL

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With the pure attitude to win, pitcher Samantha Arenkill vows to work to the best of her ability and help her team succeed. With the teammates she has this year, she knows that they can contend with the best teams out there, and believes that they have a shot to make it farther this year if everyone’s heart is completely committed. Arenkill is able to set the pace and mind-set of the entire game. Being a pitcher sure has its advantages. She try’s to encourage her teammates and always keeps a positive attitude on the field. Positivity and hard work is what Arenkill sees as being the catalyst to success. Samantha looks Leading her teammates comes naturally to her. She feels that the more comfortable a player is in their surroundings, the better the overall performance to the team. That’s why Samantha try’s to make sure her teammates are the most comfortable they can be.

If she also sees them struggling or making mistakes, Arenkill takes the time to help correct them in a constructive manner. The end goal is to become an errorless team. Arenkill sees All-Conference potential in all of her teammates, and believes that Lauren Huber, Leah Challenger, and Jori Boren might be those new candidates. Only time will tell. But one thing is for certain. When Samantha is on the mound there is a pure motivation to win, and to her it’s the best thing to come off the field knowing that her team has just played a solid good game of softball and can add a win tho there record. www.robertmorris.edu

Utility Infielder Andrea Falco seeks to be that “go to” player in any situation in order to help her teammates succeed. She also knows that the freshman that they have this year will definitely leave an impact on the team in the next few years, along with the juniors and seniors they have acquired from various schools and recruiting campaigns. Nothing separates Andrea from anyone else on the field, other than her multicolored mouth guard of course. But Falco is a true team player, and she wants the same end result as everyone else, which is working together to win ballgames. Playing focused softball each and everyday is the most important aspect to her, and knows that will inevitably put a championship under their belts. “As an individual, I will try my best to perform the task at hand, whether it be put the sacrifice bunt down or make an out at home,” – Andrea Falco She believes that the hard work she puts in will hopefully rub of on the underclassmen, and that they will want to work hard each and every day just as she does. This mentality makes Falco the definition of a team leader, giving helpful hints to other teammates when needed.

Falco can see Holly Kuhl, Katie Bourg, Angela Roeback, Leah Challenger, and all of the pitchers as definite players in the running for All-Conference awards. Andrea Falco is definitely a true teammate, and an All-Conference caliber player. We shall see if the 2012 season will be as rewarding as the last.

Robert Morris Sports

21

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Flexeon Rehabilitation is a leader as a therapist owned physical therapy and sports rehabilitation provider in the Chicago area. The facility director, Jim Beese, a physical therapist and athletic trainer and his staff work with many area professional, college and high school sports athletic programs. We emphasize one-on–one hands on physical therapy, with the focus on finding the source of the problem as well as healing the injury.

All programs are developed by founder Tom Pukstys, CSCS and two-time Olympian. The former US record holder in the javelin throw competed internationally for 14 years and uses his extensive background to offer programs in speed, throwing power and all around athletic performance. Classes are fun, challenging and effective. Teams, small groups and individuals are welcome to train inside the training center inside of Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports facility.

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SportsDEPARTMENT

to college ball has come a long way throughout the years. Throughout the years, the development of the aluminum bat caused devastating injury to collegiate and Little League players. New 2012 regulations known as BBCOR–“batted ball coefficient of restitution”– force bat manufacturers to find a way to make aluminum and composite bats perform more like professional wooden ones.

Batting gloves help batters of both softball and baseball with providing comfort, warmth, improved grip, and shock absorption when making contact with the ball. The majority of baseball and softball players at any level wear batting gloves to help grip the bat. And lets not forget to always protect your noggin’! Back in the 1800’s, the public’s general concern for safety wasn’t too high when playing the sport of baseball. In 1905, Frank Mogridge created the first crude protective head gear that was granted patent No. 780899 for a “head protector.” This first attempt at a batting helmet was said to look like an “inflatable boxing glove that wrapped around the hitters head.” The

Continued from page 14

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Baseball gloves have grown progressively larger since their inception.

While

catching in baseball had always been two handed, eventually, gloves grew to a size that made it easier to catch the ball in the webbing of the glove, and use the off-hand to keep it from falling out.

www.robertmorris.edu

In the American major leagues, Rule 1.10(a) states, “The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than

42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.”

Bats are not

allowed to be hollowed or corked—that is, filled with an alien substance such as cork which reduces the weight.

helmets were not so much actual helmets back then, but rather ear and temple guards from pitches.

Today’s times, batting helmets are a no doubt necessity for the safety of players, as well as coaches. What once was a spongy, wet bandaid like hat has modified over the years to a tough durable polymer to withstand an impact of a 95 mph fastball keeping the hitter alive. We have to remember that technology will forever be used and encompass our sports. But when that technology hinders the sanctity of the sport, that’s when the question comes into mind as “Where will the line be drawn?” ■ Robert Morris Sports

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FEATUREArticle Article By: Caitlyn Dabbs

Woman’s Tennis Defeats Olivet Nazarene University for the CCAC Conference Championship.

26

www.robertmorris.edu

he #21 Ranked Robert Morris University’s Women’s tennis team defeated Olivet Nazarene University on April 28th, becoming 2012’s Conference Champions. The Eagles made an amazing comeback from behind with singles beginning with the Eagles down 2-1. Even though Olivet defeated RMU last year 5-4 in the Championship Final, the RMU Tennis Team were much more confident in their abilities this time around after coming back from their Florida trip with an undefeated record.

“I’ve played 2 years for the RMU Tennis Team, and this past year we’ve worked so hard. As we were progressing into the season, we’ve become so much stronger and more confident with every singe match we played. It was none stop support amongst each other,”–states Junior Ana Kostic in response to the 2011-2012 season. When things were looking bleak there was always someone who would step up and win for the team, since it’s quite impossible for all of the team to play great every match.

Rocio Fernandez was the first Eagle to set the stage for the team and ended her leg of the tournament not dropping a single game all day, winning 6-0, 6-0 and leveling the match score 2-2. Next in line was Stephanie Messina playing in the #4 slot, where she played a match to secure the win over her opponent.

Moments later and with identical scores, it was #5 Maria Bellorin getting payback against her opponent in doubles with a glorious win.

Robert Morris Sports

27

I would say that for the most part being a strong team together brought us this success, as well as dedication and support we had from our head coach, Chuck Bern, and assistant coach, Victor Mesquita. – Ana Kostic

both teams and spectators were on the edges of their seats waiting for an outcome. Both players were working hard, showing each of their individual talents. Finally, with Khabirova up 5 games to 3 and serving at 40-15, Hascoet went for another of her signature winners but missed the line to give Khabirova and the Eagles the 5-4 win for the CCAC Conference Tournament championship.

“I’m honored and proud to play and represent my educational institution. Being Conference Champions meant a lot for me and everyone else

W

ith the Conference Tournament Title and a Nationals Invitation on the line, RMU’s Anastasia Khabirova was set to take on Aurelie Hascoet at the #1 singles position. Kostic states, “The most important thing against Olivet is to go into the match with the right mind-set and completely exclude the fact that they had been champions for past 10 years. Each of us had her own strategy for winning both our doubles and singles match, which was based on our unique strengths in the game. Our assistant coach, Victor, helped us a lot with that.” The first set was a back and forth with both girls making tremendous plays. Khabirova was on serve 6-5 when she returned a lethal serve to break Hascoet and to secure the first set 7-5. During the second set her opponent, Hascoe, was able to regroup and was able to come back with confidence. She took a commanding 5-2 lead when Khabirova brought the score back to a close 5-4, only to see Hascote regroup once again to with the set at 6-4. The girls were forced into a third and decisive match. Early on it appeared to be a sad ending for the eagles when Hascoet rattled off the first two games with wins. Behind 2-0, Khabirova remained focused and determined to even up the score. She was able to come back and continued to rattle Hascoet, as she turned the tables by changing the score to 5-2. Hascoet won the eighth game bringing the set to 5-3 as Robert Morris Sports

on the team especially because this was the first victory in the history of the tennis program at RMU,” Kostic would add. This Conference Title confirmed all the hard work and dedication the tennis team had this season. Next season, they will definitely start off well with working hard and being ready and hungry for more victories. ■

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Nadejda Ivanova

PLAYER BIOS

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RMU’s FINEST ATHLETES. What is your role on the team? My role on the

team is to bring lots and lots of energy on the court and pump everyone up. To bring everyone together after a play, and cheer! To always a positive and vibrant energy to help bring others up!

How do you prepare yourself for the season? I work out

6 days a week over the summer. I work out a lot with Shonie Carter, who is a well-known MMA fighter.

We work out together everyday from pool training, to cardio circuits, boxing, chain workouts, body weight exercises, and lots of lifting. I also play lots of beach volleyball over the summer to help me with my vertical and speed.

Do you consider practice a key component to your success? Personally, no

I

don’t. A major component to my success is how well I prepare myself for the season. If everyone is not on the same page at practice, you can’t be successful as a team nor

www.robertmorris.edu

SportsBIOGRAPHIES

a individual.

Volleyball is a team sport, and if others are lacking then it also affects the individual as well in getting better and actually playing to their potential.

Is there good team chemistry? No, there isn’t. We

have many cliques on our team that prevent us to be the best we can be and succeed as a team.

There is obviously good chemistry between others or should I say, close friends, on the court, but as a whole there is no chemistry.

Would you refer other players to RMU? No. The main

Robert Morris Sports

reason is because many athletes don’t like RMU because it’s not a good college experience. I will only refer players that I know or are looking to transfer, to come here, only if I’m still playing.

Who doesn’t want to play with previous teammates they’ve played with at the different schools? I referred my old teammates to transfer and play here with me. If I am done playing at RMU, I will not refer anyone.

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PLAYER BIOS

nataile RIECHERS

Born... Crown Point, Indiana Alma Mater... Merrilville HS What’s on TV... Keeping up with the Kardashins, American Idol, Food Network, Friends What’s in my Ipod... Country What I drive... 2008 Yellow Hyundia Accent Favorite flicks... Not a movie fan Magazine subscriptions... N/A Bookmarks... HATE READING!!!

Superstitions... I wear the same bow in my hair if we win Worst habit... I don’t know On my bedroom walls... Lots of picture frames with friends, family and boyfriend Would love to trade places for a day with... Carrie Underwood First job... Dairy Queen in HS Talent I’d most like to have... Be able to wink my eyes Favorite athlete to watch in another sport... USA Olympic Athlete Shawn Johnson Favorite Food... Mexican Dream Date... First having him pick me up with my favorite flowers (tiger Lilies), then taken somewhere adventurous. Then going to a good authentic Mexican Restaurant Favorite city to visit... New York Favorite team as a kid... White Sox Greatest love... Shopping, Baking, Spending time with the family Favorite physical attribute about myself... Smile and eyes And Least... Wished I was taller Favorite value in others... People who care. People who love to see others succeed in life.

Who aren’t jealous of others, but are happy for them when good fortune comes there way.

My hero... My mother. Even though she’s my mother, she is like my best friend first.

My bucket list... Become a college athlete, sky dive, rock climb, mountain climbing, become a White Sox Pride Crew Girl, write and record a country song, write and publish a cookbook.

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www.robertmorris.edu

SportsBIOGRAPHIES

SportsBIOGRAPHIES

david

PLAYER BIOS

SINDEWALD

Born... 9/14/89 Alma Mater... I went to South Suburban College What’s on TV... My favorite show is Srubs What’s in my Ipod... Music What I drive... 2003 Grand Marquis Favorite flicks... Jurassic Park, Ninja Turtles Magazine subscriptions... Sports Illustrated Bookmarks... Candy Freak, Why We Suck Superstitions... I give the baseball a nice big smooch before warming up Worst habit... Not doing homework On my bedroom walls... paint Would love to trade places for a day with... I would have to say Barry Zito. He’s the man!

First job... Dog poop cleaner upper Talent I’d most like to have... Play the xylophone Favorite athlete to watch in another sport... Ray Allen Favorite Food... Hot Wings!

Dream Date... I wanna go to McDonalds in Atlantic City with Eliza Dushku.

Favorite city to visit... Atlantic City Favorite team as a kid... Chicago Cubs Greatest love... Baseball Favorite physical attribute about myself... I smell great And Least... My lack of facial hair Favorite value in others... Being able to appreciate a good fart My hero... Mario and Luigi My bucket list... Sneeze with my eyes open, hit a hole in one, climb a mountain, go sledding down that same mountain, build a tree fort, grow a beard, see the Cubs win the world series.

Robert Morris Sports

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Improve your life and strengthen your community

Transfer to RMU for a Bachelor’s Degree in

LAW ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION 800.762.5960 | enroll@robertmorris.edu | 401 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605

Will it Play

in Peoria?

Back in the days of Vaudeville there was a saying that “If it played in Peoria it would play anywhere.” The sports in Peoria have grown immensely over the past year.

Article by: Michael Kennedy

Here are the accomplishments for this year’s sports in Peoria.

The Peoria Hockey team had an outstanding season. Multiple players received ACHA awards. Players that are worth mentioning are Sam Milligan – Defense receiving ACHA Division 3 2nd Team All-American Honors. In ACHA Regional Awards for the North Region Sam Milligan also received 1st Team honors. Jake Burge - Goaltender received 2nd Team honors, and Josh Sandberg – Forward and Brandon Neville – Forward received 3rd Team honors.

Amongst all of those multiple players were ACHA Academic All-Americans Josh Sandberg, Bowe Vanderbloom, Zac Tortorella, Mike Womack, and Erik Norton. Along with all these awards the Peoria Hockey Team also captured the 201112 MACHA Silver Division Championship back in February, defeating Marquette University 3-1. Goaltender Jake Burge was named the Tournament MVP. The Peoria Woman’s bowling team registered an 11,638 pin fall to finish 6th in their third straight appearance in the USBC Sectional Championships. Hailey Jepson averaged 196.2 for 14th and Nicole Hartseil averaged 189.7 for 33rd places were the top performers. The team also had NCBCA Academic All-Americans in Erin Chambers, Hailey Jepson, Kathleen Johnson, Robert Morris Sports

Ivy Martinez, Laynee Mauerman, Stephanie M. Parsolano, Ashley Scott, Tara Suzuki-Nguyen, and Courtney Wolf. The Men’s bowling team finished their second year as a sport at the Peoria Campus. Jeff Parlier and Dalton Sackett both also were NCBCA Academic All-Americans.

Along with all of this the Peoria Campus is looking into potential teams in cross country, tennis, and golf. All of these sports would be women’s.

So next time your team has to play the Peoria Campus’ teams. Think to yourself “Can we play in Peoria?”

37

TRAINING DAYS Pat Kustok

Article and Photographs by: adilyn oyce Michael Oleshko

baseball

M

softball

J

W

hen the season ends for a sport at RMU, hopefully it’s on a

good note. A Conference Title or a National Tournament Title at the end of the season would be sufficient for any RMU team. But once that final out is recorded, second counts down to zero, or match has been set, that is it. The season ends. That means it is time for a little rest and relaxation for some. A time to reflect on the season and a lot of “could’a, would’a, should’a” talk between athletes and coaches alike. And it’s a time to enjoy the time away from the game, even if it is just for a little while.

But in some cases, the season never ends. There are some athletes that don’t accept the fact that their season is over, and they take it upon themselves to keep in shape throughout the off-season. Most football, baseball, softball and basketball players have the luxury of still being able to play during the summer months.

The training days these athletes go through don’t just start at the beginning of the season, but continue throughout the year as the season is long been over. These are the kind of athletes that RMU is proud to hold on their active roster list. Baseball Robert Morris Sports

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FEATUREArticle and Softball at RMU have recently drawn their season to a close. We were fortunate to catch up with Madilyn Joyce, 1st baseman for the RMU Softball Team, and Pat Kustok, 2nd baseman for the RMU Baseball Team to find out how they keep in shape during the long off-season.

such as hitting, bunting, and fielding sharp, along with keeping your mentality strong. I usually have a set routine of lifting that I do at home.

Depending on what I’m working on for the day, the workouts I do could include footwork drills and jumping rope to work on my speed, weight lifting for my strength, and medicine ball and abs work such as crunches for my core. My workout is usually concluded with protein or creatine to help me get stronger and build more muscle Staying in shape during the off-season as well mass. as preparing yourself for the next season can be a difficult task. You have to balance keeping your When it comes to the other side of the game, body physically fit, as well as keeping your skills such as the skill set, I personally like to utilize the facility that Robert Morris has the opportunity to use. The baseball and softball team get to train at the Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome, so in the off-season I like to go there as much as I can and work on my swing as well as fielding.

Usually I will go there with some of my other teammates, or even with Maddie Joyce, and we’ll work on our swings. We’ll hit off the tee, doing front toss drills, and throw batting practice to each other.

I’m a contact hitter, and a strength of mine is hitting the ball to the opposite field. So that is something I’m always working on whenever I hit.

Pat Kustok

After, we work on fielding ground balls and throwing. I’ve never really been considered a player that has a strong arm, but as I’ve progressed over the years I’ve really built up my arm strength from playing a lot of long toss during the off-season ever since I was in high school. One thing that I’ve recently started doing to improve my strength, skills, and mentality towards the game is a practice that I was introduced to by coach Sean Osbourne and Joe Decault. Whenever we take ground balls now–whether it is off-season, pregame, in a game, batting practice, or even just a normal practice, if I fail to field a ground ball cleanly I have to do 10

Running is a great way to rev up your metabolism and increase your energy levels. Running releases endorphins, the chemicals in the brain that make you feel happy; this is how the expression “Runner’s high” came about. You can go from feeling fatigued and devoid of energy to excited and energized with a 20-minute run.

Focus on proper technique before increasing the weight that you lift. The last few reps should feel difficult, though. The only way to stimulate your muscles is to challenge them until they’re almost fatigued.

Using proper technique helps you maximize your workout and avoid injury.

Leg presses are effective exercises for your lower body. Athletes of many types, including runners, bicyclists, football players and weight lifters, use leg presses to develop the large muscles in their upper legs and to promote lower body power. They are important for jumping, running and other activities.

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pushups as a consequence. And some days that punishment switches up to crunches. We usually stick with pushups to stay in shape and promote arm strength. It’s amazing how much this training technique can change your mentality of the game of baseball. Knowing it’s a game of failure and you’re going to mess up, and adding a consequence to your mistakes just makes it that much more meaningful to stride to better yourself.

walk on a high incline. It gets difficult during the season when you play 12 games in a week while still studying and going to class. Increasing my endurance and stamina helps me deal with the fatigue of everything that Robert Morris athletics and academics throw at me. It helps me stay healthy, focused, and in the game at all times.

Preparing myself mentally for season also comes from summer workouts. Since no one is there to motivate or actually tell me to work out, it’s on my own. This means that I can be my own worse enemy if I don’t take initiative. I push The hardest part about off-season work- myself during the summer in order to achieve the outs is the motivation. During the season, you goals I have set for next year. ■ have your coaches and teammates motivating you to do the work. Unfortunately during the summer it’s all on you. Summer workouts are probably the most beneficial to an athlete because it shows you how strong your mental game is. It shows how much you want it and how much you’re dedicated to the sport.

It separates the good from the best.

Madilyn Joyce

My off-season workouts usually consist of building back muscle and building my stamina. I do plenty of lunges and squats to build leg muscles as well. I don’t do it to just get stronger, but also to prevent injuries that could occur during the next spring season. Being proactive in injury prevention is huge to me, and it starts in the off-season.

I also work on hard on my endurance by running.

With cardio, I like to alternate between a normal jog and a

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FEATUREArticle

Robert Morris Sports

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T

he saying

“Third Time’s a Charm” is believed that the third

time something is attempted is more likely to succeed than the previous two attempts. It is also used as a good luck charm - spoken

just before trying something for the third time. This term is used primarily when one person has attempted to perform a task more than twice, with failure as a result. When it comes to RMU’s Chicago Baseball

Team, this could be far from the truth.

A

fter organizing one of the biggest changes in course in NAIA history back in 2009, 2011 CCAC Coach of the Year Mike Kashirsky and his team have earned continuous spots in the NAIA World Series Tournament in 2010 and again in 2011. The Eagles captured the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title in 2010 and the regular season title in 2011. Let us not forget the overall record for the Eagles over the last 2 seasons as well. RMU’s Chicagoland team posted an impressive 77-36 win-loss record. The team finished in the CCAC 41-16 with a regular-season title and a Conference Tournament Championship to their credit. Since the conclusion of the 2011 season, a lot has transpired. Off season recruitment and signing have been priority since that final pitch was thrown, terminating the Eagle’s 2011 season. This is due to the inevitable departure of many senior players, which also happened to be the majority of the starting line-up. The first on the list is probably the heaviest hitting loss that Robert Morris has to suffer, in Center fielder Brett Velon.

Losing a CCAC Player of the Year and NAIA All-American is huge to any team. RMU also said goodbye to; second baseman Tyler Thompson,

44

outfielder Juwanza Young, relief pitchers Kyle Henning and Bronson Gahagan, starting RHP Ryan Miller and Bryan Johnson, first baseman Marty Coyle and first base Gold Glove Winner Alex “AMC” McCluskey.

W

ith the departure of all these great players, this draws up the question if the Robert Morris Baseball Team can have a “threepeat” year, capturing the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. Working out during the off-season at the Bo Jackson Elite Sports Dome gave the team a great opportunity www.robertmorris.edu

to be way ahead of the competition. They were able to come in and work on whatever they needed to get better. And due to the number of recreational facilities the “Bo Dome” has to offer, once practice had started full time, players were able to do fly ball drills and long toss on the soccer field, work on grounders, bunt defense and pitcher situations on the artificial turf infield, and take as many swings as they needed to in the numerous batting cages the facility had to offer. Returning Righthanders David Sindewald and All-Conference pitcher Patrick Murray look to lead the way on the mound with the addition of a trio of arms in Carlos Rodriquez III, Roger Lane, and Brandon Radke. Given the talent that Kashirsky has at his disposal now,

#43

outfielder

A ndy R oen

Robert Morris Sports

D an K enealy

there are plenty of options as to who is to play where. Returning infielder Frank Ricco, outfielder Tim Ryan, infielder Anthony Scarlata, first baseman Kevin McDonald, and catcher Matt Toomey are all experienced that know what it takes to win a Conference Title. Their task will be to shape and mold the new

» NEWLY RECRUITED « #21

infielder

#99

outfielder

additional players. Teamwork is the key to success. Fortunately, those who are returning know just that. The temperature this March wasn’t the only thing that was hot. The Eagles returned from their spring trip with a 9-4 record, starting their Conference Title run very early on. As the season continues for

Z ack V olland

45

» NEWLY RECRUITED « #13

starting pitcher

R ey R odriguez

Teammates gather around assistant Head Coach Jason Becker to discuss strategy. ►

» NEWLY RECRUITED « #1

catcher

P at D riscoll

Robert Morris, only time will tell if they fully have what it takes to capture another Conference Championship Title, and a trip to the College World Series.

But from what we can see, the amount of talent filling the lineup card every game should be more than enough to achieve such a goal. ■

RENT ONE BALLPARK, (home of the Houston Astro’s double-a ball club) is just one of the venues that Robert Morris has the priviledge of playing at.

INSIDE LOOK

THE ART OF

CALLING A GAME

We caught up with catcher Matt Toomey and Leah Challenger

to pick there brains on how they call a game for the

48

RMU pitching staff.

www.robertmorris.edu

SportsDEPARTMENT

MATT TOOMEY INTERVIEWS BY MICHAEL OLESHKO • PHOTO BY MICHAEL MASKAS

So tell me, what is it like being a catcher in general for you?

Toomey: As a catcher I feel

as if it has become second nature to call pitches. It has taken years of studying hard work and a desire to further my knowledge to develop this trait. Many things come into consideration when I am behind the plate trying to get the hitter out with my pitch calling.

Challenger: There are

so many words that describe what it is like being a catcher.

It is fun, exciting, empowering, frustrating, and any word that describes a certain kind of love for something.

Softball for me has always been my first love, and being the catcher is the icing on the cake. Not many people know what it is like to be a catcher, but for those who do, they know that it is one of the most rewarding positions on the field. As a catcher, there is a certain responsibility that they take on. It is the one spot on the field that is in the action of every play. Whether that be calling pitches, letting the defenders know which base to play at on a Robert Morris Sports

49

bunt, or simply just connecting with the umpire behind the plate. Being a catcher has its ups and downs, but nothing will ever beat the feeling of throwing a girl out at the plate, or when the pitcher strikes out a batter on a called change up.

LEAH CHALLENGER PHOTO BY MICHAEL OLESHKO

What do you feel is a big issue you face catching?

T: The biggest thing is the

relationship with my pitcher.

I have to know exactly what pitches he has and what pitch works the best for him, and what is working that day ( i.e. slider or curveball).

C: The biggest issue that

I face when catching is the difficulty of calling the right pitch when there is a pressure situation. Those situations are usually when the other team is starting to catch the rhythm of the pitcher, and they start hitting off of her. This is when I must keep calm and help the pitcher by throwing the best possible pitches; which is the hard part. A lot of times, the pitcher will get rattled, and they become unfocused. It is at that moment when I must use my best judgment, and call pitches that I know they will hit,

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but sometimes it is hard to tell whether or not that is the best pitch in that particular situation.

C: Attitude is a very

important feature about a pitcher. If a pitcher cannot handle the pressure or if they think they are the What is the only important person on most important the field, it will lead to feature you team dysfunction. I have look for in a worked with many pitchpitcher? ers that have thought they T: The most important thing were the only person that is confidence. Many pitchers matters and the team, would get very upset, I have encountered do not have confidence in all of their and feel that they are not pitches and will shake me off. getting the credit they But as a catcher, I take it per- deserve. Most importantly, sonally to exude confidence it puts a damper on a in every pitch a pitcher has in pitcher/catcher relationship, because a pitcher his arsenal.

would be nowhere without her catcher. Other than that, a pitcher who can handle herself in tight games shows they have a drive to win, and they can get the job done.

How important is a “pitcher/catcher” relationship?

T: VERY! The most impor-

tant factor, in my opinion, is that a pitcher must have confidence in me to block his curve ball in the dirt with 2 strikes. If a pitcher is tentative to do so, he is screwed.

To be honest, there is no

If you would play any other position besides catcher, what would you want to play and why?

T: I used to play second base way

back when I first started to play the game. But I would have to say that I would definitely want to play somewhere in the outfield. There is nothing better than tracking a ball down in the gap. Are I’d love to make a game saving diving catch.

And I’ve also loved when guys get tossed out trying to tag up on a fly ball. I want to be that guy that hoses ‘em. You could call me Craig Biggio, because he caught, played second base and center in his career. And he’s a small scrappy guy, like me.

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better feeling for me when I can strike a kid out on three pitches and know he had zero chance because I was a step ahead of his thought process.

C: A pitcher/catcher rela-

tionship is so important.

I would like to compare it to a best friend relationship. On the field, there is no time to discuss what pitch should be called, or if the pitcher is comfortable throwing it. The catcher just knows what the pitcher is thinking, and there is trust that it will be the right pitch. I’ll use my teammate pitcher Sam Arenkill as an example. Her and I have a very outstanding and unexplainable relationship.

When we come in after an inning, sometimes even we cannot believe how well we work together.

She is the prime example of a pitcher/catcher best friendship. It is so crazy that even sometimes we argue about the pitches; in a silent manner of course. I call a pitch, she shakes me off. When that is the pitch I know should be thrown at that time, I will call it again. The look of “whatever,” that she always gives me never fails and it is comical to think we could argue without even

52

talking. The most amazing thing about it is that once she throws that pitch, it is like the argument never happened. It is so fun, and probably my favorite part of catching.

Are there any particular signs you see from the batters that help you call pitches?

T:

There are many tells a hitter will have that enable me to beat him with pitch calling. A few examples; If a guy is spread way out in the box, I am going to bust him inside. If a hitter is way off the plate, then I know he doesn’t like the inside pitch.

So I’m going to nibble on the outside corner with some off speed, preferably a changeup, then come in hard to get him out. If a guy has a large leg kick, it’s second nature to bury curve balls and mix in only a few fastballs. If I see a kid step in the box waving his hands and gripping the bat tightly, I’d probably call a 2-seamer running tight on his hands first, then I’ll go soft away for the rest of the at-bat. Another thing I try to pay close attention to are the coaches on the other team. Do I hear them yelling to their hitters what they think is coming because they have been studying the way

I’ve been calling pitches? All these are just a few things I try to pay attention to when calling a game.

C:

One way that I am able to tell what pitch to call is by looking at their body language, and their batting stance. After that, I will look at the pitcher and feel out their confidence over that batter as opposed to the batters confidence over the pitcher. It also depends on the batters demeanor.

There are times I can just tell that the batter will have full control of her at-bat. It makes it difficult to throw to those batters, because you can tell they are thinking “I am going to hit whatever you throw at me.”

Is there a pattern you tend to use when calling pitches?

T:

The first time throughout the lineup, I will fall into a pattern. For example, an 0-2 count, I’ll go fastball way outside off the plate. Then a curve ball in the dirt, or starting the 3,4,5 guys with curve balls. I might try and stick to this 1.5 times through the lineup. Then when the coach and the hitters start to catch on, I completely change my calling. I’ll throw fastballs in www.robertmorris.edu

SportsDEPARTMENT

“CATCHING IS FUN, EXCITING, EMPOWERING, FRUSTRATING, AND ANY WORD THAT DESCRIBES A CERTAIN KIND OF LOVE FOR SOMETHING.” - LEAH CHALLENGER Robert Morris Sports

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SportsDEPARTMENT

“I CAN OBVIOUSLY WORK MY BEST WHEN A PITCHER HAS CONTROL AND CONFIDENCE IN ALL OF HIS PITCHES.” - MATT TOOMEY 54

www.robertmorris.edu

If you would count, so that’s what is complay any other ing,” then BOOM! A fastball position, what low and out. The next guy up and why? to bat is lost and confused and totally guessing when he C: I would play shortC: Most coaches would gets into the batters box be- stop. There is something respond to this question cause I changed the pattern. so intriguing to me about with a yes, but I do not that position, and I think believe in text book softthat has a lot to do with C: One thing that I do ball. Coaches who call their ability to tag girls out that is unique, and very games for their pitchers, after I catch them stealing. very risky, is throwing have the right idea of what change ups when they Most of the time, they look to call, but I am the type of shouldn’t be thrown. impressive while doing it, catcher who goes with my Most times girls will not but they also do not get a intuition. I like to feel out have enough power to hit lot of credit they deserve my pitcher, and what she in those positions. It does a change-up out of the has been throwing really not only take a great throw park, so my way of thinkwell during the game. The ing is, why not? It puts the to get the bandit (girl batter has a lot to do with ball in play, and if worked stealing) out, but it also what I would call as well. correctly, leaves the batter take a great short stop to Even the best hitters will make a great tag, and one looking dumbfounded as swing at a high rise ball. who is tough enough to to why they did or didn’t But the whole idea is to take metal to the shins. ■ hit that pitch. throw it at a time when they will be thrown off guard. That is why calling change ups are my favorite pitch to call. off speed situations. This is all an effort to get into a hitters head when he is behind in the count.

Is there something special that you do when calling a game that you feel is unique or different?

T: I like throwing off speed

pitches in different situations.

2-0 counts 3-1 and most certainly 3-2. That is more of a feel for your pitcher and what kind of game plan you’ve spoken of before the game.

The batter will be thinking, “OK he has thrown a curve ball to every guy in a 1-2 Robert Morris Sports

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INSIDE LOOK

WHAT WANT COACHES

Article by: Michael Oleshko Contributions by: Caitlyn Dabbs & Ruby Martinez Photographs by: Michael Oleshko

SportsDEPARTMENT

HEN A TEAM IS ASSEMBLED ON THE field, court, or rink, many spectators don’t realize the time, effort, and thought process that goes into creating a starting lineup that can perform at a professional level. Coaching is a full-time job. The men and women of the Robert Morris Coaching staff dedicate their time and energy that is aimed toward one goal– to bring home a championship. But how is this achieved? What goes into creating a championship team? The unique individuals and athletes that Robert Morris has at its fingertips are innumerable. So how does the RMU coaching staff picks their players? That is what we are going to find out. Every coach is different and looks for different qualities. When I was writing this article, I was hoping for a much bigger turnout than what I was presented. It was very difficult to get a hold of some of the coaches on their inputs as to what they look for in their student athletes. But that’s the price you pay for doing this type of article during the summer months. They’re most likely resting and relaxing for their next Championship run. Now I was fortunate enough to get multiple statements from some of the coaches. I also had a team of designers and writers helping me on this collaboration of statements. Keep in mind that the sporting staff and myself were trying our hardest to acquire the insight to what a particular coach looks for. We may just do a second release to this story when other coaching staff members see how well this has been put together. But for now, I’d like to thank everyone that has been kind enough to submit a statement to this story. I hope that if you’re a potential student athlete looking at one of these sports, you can understand what is expected from you before you take the field.

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COACHES TALK Chuck Bern

Women’s Tennis

Women’s Tennis Coach Chuck Bern looks for a certain dynamic when choosing future tennis players. His objective is to develop a competitive team comprised of diverse student-athletes whom have the potential to participate at a high level of competition, while still achieving a robust intellect in the classroom.

Robert Morris supports Bern’s vision. As stated by Coach Bern, “Robert Morris is quickly becoming a destination for tennis players who not only have an aspiration for tennis excellence, but also a desire for a functional, high quality education and valuable social contacts.”

Robert Morris Women’s Tennis finished the season with an 18-2 dual record, the most wins in school history, as well as winning the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and a CCAC Championship Tournament. On top of all this, the tennis team also carries the top grade point averages at Robert Morris University. Clearly, things are going well for the tennis team. If you think you have skills and competitive nature to perform at the Women’s Tennis level, Coach Bern invites all to step up and see if you have what it takes.

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Miriam Merrill

Women’s Track

The qualities I am looking for are hard workers, dedication and the ability to be intrinsically motivated. We practice at 6 am and our season is one of the longest collegiate sport seasons. Without these characteristics, we would not have a dedicated, nor successful, team.

We accept anyone that would like to take on the challenge. Most walk-ons with cut themselves because our practice is so early and our season is so long.

Jake Truty

Men’s Soccer

For new recruits, I look for dedicated and talented players. They need to be proficient with the technical skills needed at the college level. It would help if they were to play at a higher level in the youth game. They must be dedicated to being fit, and get good grades to stay eligible. There are of course the mental and physical challenges. During our tryouts, we try to put them through more than they think they can handle. We’ll put them in lots of situations that are disadvantageous so they can solve problems during the course of play.

Our expectations out of our student athletes include loyalty to the program and teammates, dedication to preparation. They of course must be timely, as well as responsible with the balance of playing and grades. And most important of all, they must seek constant improvement in technical skills and have a devotion to learning the tactical sense of the game. www.robertmorris.edu

Al Bruehl

Men’s Basketball

What head Men’s Basketball Coach Al Bruehl wants in his future players isn’t too far off from what everyone else wants. In a phone interview with Mr. Bruehl, the head basketball coach knows what it takes to make a championship team. They are welcome to walk-ons, Bruehl would state. When he is looking at new recruits, obviously a certain skill set is expected to play at the varsity level. Looking for immeasurable work ethic, Bruehl wants players that will make something of them selves off the court and in the classroom.

As I continued to talk to him, Mr. Bruehl made it very clear that not everyone will just “make” the varsity level sooner or later. He continued to stress that it would take team play, as well as a special kind of talent to perform at the Division I level. “We are willing to work with you however long it takes to get you where we need you to be,” testifies Bruehl in regards to newly acquired recruits. He goes on to say that being a professional out on the court also requires you to doing professional work in the classroom. With Coach Bruehl’s personal academic policy, he demands only the best grades from his student athletes. Because from the start, that’s what they are first.

They are a student.

Lauren Joyce Women’s Volleyball First and foremost, volleyball looks for team players with an immense work ethic. We want players who are willing to work hard on and off the court to become better people, as we want to help prepare you for the hard work it takes to become successful in the real world without looking for personal glory. We look for players who are dynamic and have many facets to offer the university as student-athletes; that may mean a great artist as well as talented athlete. The volleyball team works out 10-11 months out of the year doing a variety of strength training, agility, conditioning, injury prevention, and jump training. In addition to be physically strong, we do concentration and mental focus exercises to develop the strong mindset that it takes to win at the collegiate level. As a coaching staff, we expect our athletes to maintain high expectations for not only themselves, but also their teammates. We expect our athletes to maintain above a 2.5 GPA, become active in their community, and develop into well-rounded individuals who can positively contribute to RMU and the world around them.

Robert Morris Sports

All Robert Morris Coaching offices are located at the Chicago Campus in the lower level of the building.

Go to the RMU website. There, you can acquire all the information you need about Robert Morris Athletics at ...... robertmorris.edu.

All venues for RMU sports are located on the website as well. There you can get directions to the home field of your favorite RMU sports team.

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SportsDEPARTMENT

Pressure? What Pressure?

Interview by: Ebony Robinson

3

[ D]

“I LOVE BEING THE GUY EVERYBODY LOOKS FOR A BIG SHOT OR A RESPONSE. I THINK EVERYBODY WOULD CHOOSE THE ROLE.”

iante Watkins plays point guard on the Robert Morris University Basketball Team. Diante is a very funny, life of the party kind of guy. But when it comes to basketball its all hard work and love behind what he does on the court. This is his senior year at RMU and he took his last year very seriously. He wanted to be on the top of his game for his last season. I sat down with Diante after his divesting return from the National Tournament. They were unfortunately defeated in the first round of the tournament. So instead of talking about an open wound I decided to talk about him at his best.

He is undeniably the star player of the team, so I wanted to get his opinion on the highs and lows of that.

When asked about the struggles of being the star player and how he deals with the pressures of that, Diante responded with this: “I think it’s not necessarily a struggle, it’s just an expectancy to be consistent every game and practice. You just have to be prepared and ready to play every time you on the court, because teams are sending there best defensive player as well as defensive strategies to stop you. I think it’s how you approach the game with unmatched intensity.”

Diante also deals with pressure from his coach, teammates and family to perform well everyday.

“They tell me all the time, we go as far as you take us,” referring to his team and teammates. “As a leader of the team, your teammates watch your body language and effort. Effort and hard work is contagious. My coach always told me when you’re the best player and the hardest worker that team will be pretty good.”

Being the star player also comes with a great amount of attention and responsibility. So does Diante like being the star player? Or would he rather give the responsibility to someone else? “No, I love being the guy everybody looks for a big shot or a response,” he expresses. “I think everybody

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“YOU JUST HAVE TO BE PREPARED AND READY TO PLAY EVERY TIME YOU ON THE COURT, BECAUSE TEAMS ARE SENDING THERE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER AS WELL AS DEFENSIVE STRATEGIES TO STOP YOU.” would choose that role. The only pressure you have being a star player is consistency, but from the star player to the last man on the bench everybody has the pressure of being consistent.”

When there is a team, there has to be teammates of some sort. Some may ask if Diante has invested anytime into one of his teammates that he felt will take his spot when he graduates? Well as a matter of fact, yes. “I talk to him all the time, as well as the ones that are not playing my position. I really wanted to win it for the school, and bringing Coach Bruehl his 1st championship, but I just try to tell them, to work as hard as they can because being at RMU there’s pressure playing for such a powerhouse program.”

As we near toward the end, there is always the number one controversial question that is asked amongst every athlete, “How do you feel about the coaching staff?” “I feel like the staff is very different. They all have different personalities. Coach Gibson is the straight forward; he’ll tell you exactly how he feels. My mentor Coach Miller basically lets me know what I need to do in order to be the best I could be. He played college ball at the same position so I really was just learning from him. Coach Bruehl always tries a different approach. He’ll try and tell you both what you’re doing right and wrong at the same time. I think we had our ups and downs all season, but that’s because we all had one goal and that was to be the best we can be to win a championship.” Diante Watkins is most certainly the real deal, and his dedication to his team is inspiring. Hopefully, we haven’t seen the last of him and will view his talents on the basketball court in the big leagues one day.

Robert Morris Sports

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SportsCOLUMN

By: Alan Landini

Yahoo! Fantasy Sports

[ B]

Yahoo! Fantasy Sports has captured a substantial fraction of the fantasy sports market. In the week ending

May 6,

2006, its fantasy baseball product accounted for

35%

of visits to fantasy sports sites.

Robert Morris Sports

aseball is a game that may be a very complex game for many to grasp. There are many different statistics that are involved that can overwhelm any baseball fan, especially those in fantasy leagues.

Fantasy baseball has 4 different types of leagues that all share the same basic principals. There are some leagues that require daily updates to a lineup where you can set your individual batting order, and if a pitcher is scheduled to throw in reality that day, you set a pitching rotation. There are also others that throughout the drafting process, your offense are random players you pick for your team, but instead of picking your pitching staff the same way, you draft an entire teams pitching staff. So for example, all your position players could be from other teams, but you would only have the Seattle Mariners or New York Mets pitching staff. Drafting techniques help people choose their teams much more effec-

tively. This could have worked in the past to make them competitors in previous leagues. There are also techniques that people use in order to set their lineups as far as positions and utility players and some even look deep enough to see who their hitters need to hit against.

4 Types of Leagues 1) Season Rotisserie 2) Head-to Head Rotisserie 3) Points League 4) Contest/Prize

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*This is a look at Alan Landini’s Yahoo Fantasy Sports account, known on the World Wide Web as 22Fresh.

Yahoo! Fantasy Sports has a variety of ways to set up your lineups, as well as interact with other competitors. ▼

Season Rotisserie

This is the primary format that once was the preferred type of league, but now seems to have lost popularity to the head-to-head leagues. In standard rotisserie leagues, you have a set number of categories, and each team is awarded points based on where it stands among the other teams in each category for the season. For example, if you rank first in a 12-team league in home runs, you get 12 points. If you’re second, you get 11, etc. At the end of the year, if you’re third in home runs (10 points), fourth in runs scored and stolen bases (nine each), fifth in RBI (eight points) and sixth in batting average (seven points), you would have 43 points in the five hitting categories. Combine that with your points in the five pitching categories, and you have your total for the year. Often in these leagues, there are minimum limits for innings pitched and at-bats for the season and even per week.

A negative to these types of formats: Once you get to the halfway point of the season, there could be at least three or four teams that have no shot of finishing near the top. Those owners usually lose interest, affecting the rest of the league, which now has less competition for free agents and fewer options for trading.

Head-to-Head Rotisserie

Like the standard rotisserie leagues, there are a set number of categories. Only in head-tohead formats, you play an opponent each week and see how you stack up in the categories for that Monday-to-Sunday period. For example, if Team 1 beats Team 2 in batting average, RBI, steals, wins and strikeouts, ties Team 2 in saves and loses to Team 2 in homers, runs, ERA and WHIP, team 1 would win 5.5 to 4.5 (a tie in a category is worth a half a point for each team). Team 1 would then

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be 1-0 heading into its Week 2 match up against Team 3. As you would in other head-to-head formats, there are a set number of weeks for the regular season (usually 22), followed by a three-week postseason in which four, six or eight teams qualify for the tournament. One important note about head-to-head rotisserie leagues: the league should set a weekly tiebreaker with either hits or on-base percentage. No matter if you have an odd or even number of categories, there is always a chance the teams will tie for the week, since categories can often be shared. In a nine-category league, you could have a 4.5-4.5 game, just as a 10-category league could have a couple of 5-5 contests. That’s another advantage of points-based leagues: Ties are much less common, since the scores are so high.

Points League

Since the scores each week often get into the 200s, these leagues should always be head-to-head. Similar to head-to-head leagues, you try to outscore your opponent each week. There is a set scoring system in which players are awarded points for multiple categories. In these formats, twostart pitchers can be more valuable if they throw twice and win twice, since wins can be worth 10 points each, but terrible two-start outings can be even more damaging. Depending on your league’s scoring system, closers might not be as valuable unless you have saves worth almost as many points as wins.

Contest/Prize League

In these formats, you select players with a salary cap instead of competing with other owners in a draft. Once you select your team, you see how you compare to other owners’ lineups, with the website awarding prizes to the top finishers. Basically, you pay an entry fee and very few are awarded the prize money. These leagues can be rotisserie or head-to-head. The only advantage to the prize league is that the settings are determined by the website, so there is no haggling over certain rules or category preferences.

Summary

Fantasy baseball is a tedious and time consuming hobby that takes focus, patience, and strategy in order to come out on top. Many leagues are very competitive and time consuming. Many people look at it as a hobby, and some think of it as another way to kill time and watch some baseball. However, for the hard-core fantasy owners, these leagues are ways to build their managerial skills and ways to gloat to their friends or colleagues.

Some people take fantasy people just as a hobby, but for some, it could lead to a “career”. ■ Robert Morris Sports

Technique There are many drafting techniques throughout fantasy baseball.

Most teams typically are top heavy on pitching seeing as there are only certain amounts of players allowed to start in a batting order each day/week.

Starting pitchers cannot pitch every day, which gives teams the opportunity to cycle their heavy pitching staffs with a chance to have multiple pitchers starting each day. There are usually two relief pitcher spots on any given team as well. However, while drafting, teams should never waste their first two picks on pitching.

Offense is where teams receive the majority of their points, but pitching is what can make-or-break a team and can recover a losing teams stats.

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SportsCOLUMN

Article by: Alan Landini ◆ Photographs by: Michael Oleshko

It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.

- Mickey Mantle

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www.robertmorris.edu

Alan Landini Experience/Service

is a game of chance

and odds. There are many different situations in which a game can turn around completely from something courageous, a mental error, or a physical injury. The injury aspect happens much more often than outside eyes may see and has an affect that could be serious. In a baseball players mind, there is one major common goal in order to win a game; sacrifice anything to win. Whether you sacrifice an out through a bunt, or ones body for a spectacular catch.

My name is Alan Landini and I am the iconic baseball player who has had an extremely long and painful career with an abrupt and unfortunate ending. I had played baseball for as long as I remember and until I turned 13 years old, I had found my niche in pitching. I had never realized when I was young that the amount of innings or pitches I had thrown in a season would have the outcome that unfolded.

Starting when I was just 17 years old, I started to develop some health issues that I unknowingly realized would start the downfall of my career.

Robert Morris Sports

Throughout my life, there were many pivotal moments that I had become very proud of. While in high school, I had received the high honor of being nominated to the All-State team my junior and senior year. I had also been awarded all-area and participated in the McDonalds prospect game in Southern California. Through the injuries that I endured while in high school, I knew that I could never let any of the MLB or college scouts find out or my player value would deplete quickly.

With that mindset, I would later find out that I was only hurting myself more. In the summer of 2006, I was selected in the 48th supplemental round to the Houston Astros and reported to extended spring training within a week. However, after 3 weeks of spring training, my right shoulder simply ripped itself apart from all the years of added stress I had put on it.

After recovering I was now able to compete in my first college season at a junior college in Chicago. Struggling through the college season, I was still considered a high enough value of a player for the Houston Astros to use another draft pick for me in 2007. But once again, more added stress took a toll on my shoulder again and need

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to be fixed once more. This injury would finally put an end to my MLB career. After my final surgery, I had signed to an independent professional team and before the season could begin, I was traded to a team that I had no intention on playing for and was forced into retirement. I finished a once promising career in college where I would receive the final blow to my baseball days.

1 4

HIGH SCHOOL

1) Torn Meniscus (right knee)

Rehab Duration = 2 months 2) 2nd Degree Concussion

Rehab Duration = 2 weeks 3) Broken Nose

Rehab Duration = 1 week 4) 2 Torn Lat Muscles (back)

Rehab Duration = 1 1/2 months

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Throughout all of my injuries, there always seemed to be more effects than just the physical damage. The toll they had taken on my mind and my general outlook toward the game and the rest of my life were quite extensive. I had found that after each injury, my passion for the game was fueled evermore. My hunger to recover from my injuries forced me to work harder and maybe push me to a point where I was not ready to return to the game yet. For my major injuries, there were extensive surgeries and tedious rehab stints. Each bringing me closer to the end of my career and how I now teach others how to take care of their bodies to prevent future injuries. There are 3 people that I can attribute my repairs and recovery to in helping me return to the field and guided me back to functional mental and physical health.

The orthopedic specialist that performed

PROFESSIONAL

9) 1 Cracked Rib

Rehab Duration = 1 month 10) Torn Rotator Cuff + Bicep Tendon

Rehab Duration = 7 1/2 months

COLLEGE

5) Dead Arm/Arm Fatigue

Rehab Duration = 1 month (twice) 6) Strained Rib Cage (left side)

Rehab Duration = 3 months 7) Torn Labrum (right shoulder)

Rehab Duration = 6 months 8) Tommy John Surgery

Ulneral Lateral Ligament

Reconstruction + Ulnera Nerve

Transplant (right elbow)

Rehab Duration = 13 months

Medical/Mental/Physical

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7 www.robertmorris.edu

SportsCOLUMN my knee and labrum surgery was named Blair Rhode out of Chicago who is usually known for performing major surgeries on college athletes. The other surgeon who repaired my shoulder the second time and performed my tedious elbow reconstruction was Gregory Primus out of Orland Park Orthopedics in Chicago. The last man that played a very key role on helping me return to the game as fast as possible was my physical therapist, owner of Flexeon Rehabilitation in the Chicagoland area, named James Beeze. All of these men are pawns in the career that I had. I owe them much more than just the money that I had to pay them for their services. However, there were no doctors in the world that could heal Alan Landini (pictured left) me back to a positive mental state. With was a high valued pitcher each injury that I had endured, I lost more for Robert Morris, but injuries such as Tommy John Surgery confidence, yet gained more hunger to (illustrated bottom) sidelined come back and do well. Although I knew this hurler’s promising career. that I would never be the player that I

8 Robert Morris Sports

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“SOONER OR LATER THE ARM GOES BAD. IT HAS TO... SOONER OR LATER YOU HAVE TO START PITCHING IN PAIN.” - WHITEY FORD

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used to be after all my surgeries, I strived to make whatever I had left to keep my head on straight. But it was the nagging injuries between my surgeries that made it nearly impossible to have a positive outlook on how my career would turn out.

Summary Injuries can cause players to fade out of the game of baseball, yet could also show how others can persevere in times of hardship. Throughout my short career, I was one of the examples of players that refuse to fade from the game. There were times that I should have retired or even quit the game much earlier to save the rest of my physical wellbeing, but the passion and respect that I had for the game was much too strong and my mentality was, as long as I had an arm attached to my body, I was still going to pitch. For all of the other younger players who are in fear of future injuries, I would NOT recommend going about their careers the way I did. There were many injuries that could have been prevented if I had stopped when I had felt the initial problems. I was careless with my body and I to pay the price for ignoring my body’s signs of breakdown. Some people say that I was being ignorant or my ego was getting the best of me, but unless you are a baseball player, they would never understand what winning means to a player or how much someone is willing to do for their team. Whether it be for only one diving catch in the outfield for the game winner that caused you to dislocate a shoulder, or a pitcher that on the 2-1 curveball that felt a painful twinge in his elbow that decided he had one more 90mph fastball left to strike the hitter out before the elbow gave way. There will always be a heightened sense of pride that will drive a player to continue. Correct care of ones body is an essential ingredient to success. Icing the sore knee or shoulder, or a pitcher doing his conditioning after throwing are more important than any young player could imagine. For today’s youth, there should be pitch limits or inning restrictions in order to prevent injuries farther down the road. As long as the game of baseball is around, there will always be players that will continue to play hard and sacrifice their body’s for their teams and their self-pride. ■ www.robertmorris.edu

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1-866-4FLEXEON info@flexeonrehabclinics.com

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“Eyrie is a supportive learning environment for aspiring chefs, providing seasonal dining for the community while embracing sustainable practices.”

Dear Eyrie Guests, Thank you for choosing to dine at Eyrie, Robert Morris University’s debut student-run restaurant. Eyrie, defined as a nest of an eagle (the University’s mascot), welcomes you. Without you, Robert Morris University would not be able to offer this ultimate experiential classroom for our students - the future chefs and professionals in the hospitality industry.

Since its infancy, students have been the architects of Eyrie. As a project facilitated through the Integrated Learning Center (ICenter), a division of the University, students from all areas of study collaborated to make Eyrie a reality. Students from our campuses throughout the state of Illinois came together to create the floor plan, marketing pieces, menu and business model to ensure Eyrie came to fruition. This learning model continues on as you experience Eyrie for yourself.

It is our students’ pleasure to welcome and serve you. Enjoy!

Best Regards, Michael P. Viollt President Robert Morris University