As summer nears, one senior looks back |
| Posted by Administrator on Apr 23 2008 |
Photo by Nicholas Hauder
Junior catcher Leon de Winter looks to gundown a baserunner attempting to steal second base during the April 1 matchup against Hastings College. Since then the Lopers have won eight of their last 13 games. Next up for the Lopers is a four-game home series with RMAC opponent Regis on April 25-27. The games will be played at Kearney's Memorial Field.
By Griffith Watson
Antelope Staff
As April draws to a close, the end of the school year is in sight for every UNK student. The weather is changing, and finals are quickly approaching. People are moving out of dorm rooms and apartments, heading home for the summer.
Along with the pleasures that summer brings are some of the hassles of dealing with moving and the end of the school year. For Joe Gonzales, paring these chores with school and baseball has built up into quite a handful.
Gonzales is a senior infielder for the Loper baseball team. The sports administration major from Lakewood, Colo. is in his last semester of classes at UNK. After spring classes are over, Gonzales will be moving home to complete an internship to earn his degree.
"I already have an internship at Slammers Baseball Complex in Lakewood," Gonzales said. "I plan on working there as soon as I get home."
Because he lives off campus, Gonzales has his own furniture in Kearney that he needs to take back home with him. Getting out of his apartment and getting home is just one of the challenges that he faces.
"I have to organize a date with my apartment complex of when I am planning on moving out," Gonzales said. "That's a lot easier said than done, due to baseball and not knowing when we will be finished with the season."
Gonzales said, "Repairing some damages to my apartment is also something I need to get working on. That and trying to get my bed, my desk and other items back to Colorado without a trailer."
While everybody knows when school comes to an end, the same can't be said for the baseball season. The team could be done in either the beginning or end of May, depending on how the team plays. The Lopers will also miss the last week of school.
"We go to the RMAC tournament during finals week," Gonzales said. Because the team is gone during finals week, all of the players have to make prior arrangements to get their tests taken.
"I have to set it up with my teacher during dead week," Gonzales said. "To me it just means that I'm done with school a week earlier than everyone else."
Being done with school is an exciting prospect for Gonzales.
"I am very excited to be done with school and classes," Gonzales said. "I can't wait to move on to new activities and challenges."
While the end of his school career is something that Gonzales is enthusiastic about, he feels very differently about the end of the baseball season.
"I've been playing baseball since I was five, and to think that I may never play again is sad," Gonzales said. "But it's also a great motivator for me to practice and play as hard as I can for this last month and a half."
The Lopers are looking to defend their RMAC title at the conference tournament in May. If they win there, the team will travel to an NCAA regional to try to make it to the Division II World Series.
Gonzales doesn't seem to think the end of school, the end of baseball, moving and the beginning of an internship feel overwhelming.
"I don't think it's overwhelming, but I do feel anxious for school to be over," Gonzales said. "But I only wish baseball wouldn't come and go so quickly. I have learned to cherish every day of these last couple of months of my baseball career."
Back
