You see it talked about a lot and sometimes I don't know what it means. When people say they are proud for things. It could be an accomplishment that they achieved or something a family member or friend did but I think maybe the meaning is a little different for everyone. I think people kind of brush off people being proud until something happens that makes them proud. That was me this past weekend.
As you know I was a baseball player for Seton Hill University. Going to SHU was somewhat of a big deal, not that I was there but that males were there. I was a part of the second ever male class at SHU and in my first year in the fall of 2003 I was a part of the first ever baseball team on campus. Our first year it was just a bunch of freshmen and a couple transfers and despite thinking we were really good, we really sucked. We had liked 17 wins all season and blew. The next year we got better and won 27 games and made our conference tournament. We got swept in the first round, but it was a building block.
Fast forward to my junior year. Things clicked. We won 45 games and hosted our regional. We swept the regional, won the super regional and were one of 10 teams to play in the NAIA World Series in Idaho. It was really a surreal feeling and something that I never forget. That was probably the proudest moment of my life and here eight years later I don't think I have accomplished anything that makes me as proud as that moment.
After my junior year when we went to the Series the athletic department at SHU made the decision that they were going to move to NCAA Division II. It was the right move to make but on a team that was all juniors and that just came off a season where we won 45 games we would not be able to do it again. My senior season meant nothing in a sense. We were not eligible to make any postseason and were not eligible to play for a World Series berth in the NAIA or NCAA. It was somewhat of a guy punch, but it is what it is.
Since the move to Division II Seton Hill has been an outstanding program. This year marked the fifth straight season that SHU has made the NCAA Regional Tournament and after losing out in the regional championship last season they came back and swept through the regional this season.
The championship game was this past Sunday and while I couldn't watch it anywhere I was able to listen to it on the radio. I don't know many players on this team but I do know some of the coaching staff and as an alumni it is still really important to me to follow what I had a part in starting. Seton Hill won the regional championship game 3-0 and as the bottom of the ninth came (SHU was the away team) I just couldn't help but get chills. I remember exactly what that feeling is like. The dog pile after winning and the surreal feeling knowing that you are one of a handful of teams still playing baseball.
This is where the pride comes in. This is much more than a baseball team I played for. This is a family to me. I might not know a lot of the players or parents now but I gave everything I had to that program and to see them carry on the legacy that we started in 2003 means a lot to me. To be able to say that I am a Griffin Baseball alumni is something that I am incredibly proud of and something that nobody can take away from me.
I have no idea what the World Series will hold for SHU. Back in 2006 were lost both of our games and even though they turned out to be close it hurt not to win at least one. But here is the thing, you get there and you have a chance. Seton Hill has a chance to win a National Championship and only seven other teams have the same opportunity. It doesn't get better than that.
I couldn't be more proud of that team than I was on Saturday and that I am right now. I am not sure people will even understand this but at some point everyone has something they are proud of. This is one of the things that is at the top of the list for me.
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