2016 Team Thanks and Post-Season Review

On behalf of The 2016 Baseball Team and The Take ALS Yard Initiative, we would like to extend thanks to all of our fans and friends for their unwavering support.   The 2016 Bullets Baseball Team was nothing short of impressive, both on and off the field.  Before the season started, the program would say goodbye to two coaches: Chase Straub and Andrew Hirsch.  Each of these men served as great leaders and examples for the team under Head Coach John Campo and we are very grateful for all their contributions.  With their parting, the team would welcome two new coaches to the program: Coach Justin Perry and Coach Chris Winpigler.

With the new coaching staff in place, the Bullets set out for another season of play in the Centennial Conference.  The team ended up posting a record of 24-17-1 overall, while holding a record of 10-7-1 in the Centennial.  By the end of regular season play, the team landed a fourth seed playoff spot to play in The Conference Tournament; it was hosted by the first seed team, Johns Hopkins.  As the fourth seeded team, the Bullets faced off against the number one seed Blue Jays, resulting in a score of 6-1 in favor of Johns Hopkins.  Entering the elimination bracket, the Bullets squared off against McDaniel.   With their Second Team All-American Third Baseman and Pitcher, on the mound, Marty Windisch, the Green Terror were able to defeat The Bullets.  The game was tight and hard fought, but Windisch was able to gridlock the explosive Gettysburg offense while contributing on offense as well.  The final score was 4-1 in favor of McDaniel, ending the Bullets’ season.

While the team was unable to attain its goal of winning The Conference Championship, the team garnered a number of remarkable accolades.  The 2016 Bullets as a whole was given an Academic Excellence Award by the American Baseball Coaches Association (the team landed a 3.17 GPA).  Additional awards of academic excellence were given to individual players.  Luke Lawrence (’16), Connor Tom (’17), Aaron Bezio (’17), and Eric Brown (’17) were all named to the 2016 All Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll.  In addition, Lawrence and Tom were named to the Academic All-American Division Three Baseball Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Lawrence received two additional awards for academic excellence: he was named to the Spring Academic All-Centennial Conference Team and was also awarded a Post Graduate Scholarship by the NCAA.  Lawrence is just the 11^th Gettysburg College Athlete to receive the award and the first in the history of the baseball program!

While the Bullets were impressive off the field, they were also excellent on it.  Amongst conference honors, Andrew Hourigan (’16) and Luke Lawrence (’16) were both given Honorable Mentions for their athletic accomplishments.  In addition, Henry Klimowicz (’16), Steve Wright (’16) and Logan Sneed (’18) were named Second Team— All Centennial Conference players.  On top of being named to Second Team All-Conference, Senior Henry Klimowicz was tabbed Third Team—All Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

The 2016 Season truly proved to be a great season both on and off the field.  The recognition and achievements garnered both as a team and individually speak to the quality of baseball team at Gettysburg and its Athletic Department in general.  In terms of the Take ALS yard initiative, the team was able to continue this great tradition of philanthropy.  Senior Luke Lawrence acted as the team spokesperson, proving his stock once again.  With the help of the coaching staff, his fellow seniors and teammates, Lawrence was able to lead yet another fruitful year of fundraising.  The team was able to meet its goal of raising $2500 via online donations and raised additional funds through Take ALS Yard T-Shirt and Hat sales.  In total, the 2016 Team was able to generate over $10,000 dollars total!  As is tradition, the team also hosted its annual “Take ALS Yard/ Project ALS Day.”  This is a tradition each member of the team values greatly, and we will be hosting it again in the season to come.

In closing, thank you once again to everyone that makes this program and our philanthropy initiative possible.  Gettysburg Baseball is a strong tradition grounded in the virtues of dedication and excellence.  In the spirit of the 2016 Baseball Team, we will hold onto that dedication and excellence in the years to come.  It will surely be a tough act to follow, but the 2017 Team is ready and able to embrace this challenge head on!