Lakeland College

Lakeland welcomed back baseball alumni for annual game

Athletics - posted on 10/18/2011

Every school has its Homecoming traditions, and Lakeland College is no exception. The baseball team continued its traditional alumni game on Saturday, Oct. 15, with many former Muskies returning to their old stomping grounds.

The 2011 alumni baseball game saw the alumni take on the current players. The alumni consisted of 16 former Muskies, including current hitting coach Mitch Heinemeyer. Others who took part in the game were Jon Bintner, Matt Andrews, Rick Meyer, Adam Brown, Jason Mikula, Jake Van Camp, Mike Phillips, Lee Chepil, Mark Holzman, Brett Nelson, Paul Smith, Adam Hablewitz, Zach Schmitz, Ryan Shaw and last year's ace, Matt Katzman.

The weather conditions were not ideal, as the wind was howling in from center field and made relaxing and having fun somewhat difficult. The alumni didn't seem to mind, as they enjoyed the festivities, even though they lost, 8-2.

One tradition that remained under new head coach Mike Bachar was the donuts and juice in the alumni dugout. "It's something we started back when I played here," said Bachar. "The guys always seem to enjoy it, so I figured there's no reason to stop something that works. It's good to know that the alumni are still involved and are following the team. A lot of the most recent graduates stay in touch, but it's nice to see players you haven't heard from in a while."

The day was treated like a regular game, including on-field batting practice. "I thought it'd be cool for the alums to get some practice in," said Bachar. "For many of these guys, it's the only time they get to play all year.

"The best part about these games is the interaction between our current team and the former players. It's good for the guys to hear stories and learn from past generations. Overall, the game was a great success and we look forward to the competition again next year."

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