The dream of playing Division I sports is commonly shared among most high school athletes. Sometimes, however, that dream has to be passed up for an education.
For these athletes, it’s hard to leave behind the game to which they’ve devoted much of their time at high school to.
However, through club sports, students can combine their love of sports, while still putting their education first. But, for senior Zach Larson, the idea of playing a club sport meant he’d have to take initiative.
Larson, a sports communication major, displays a love for the game of baseball, that saw him join the Bradley club baseball team as a freshman.
Unfortunately, the team he played for only lasted his freshman year, as the team was not able to continue.
“[We had] a couple of dead years,” Larson said. “The next season (2011) we tried to get it started again, but there wasn’t enough interest.”
But the itch to play baseball was still there, and in order to play competitive baseball again, Larson would have to bring the club back.
In the winter of 2013, he and his roommate, senior business management major Tony Hempen, discussed the possibility of bringing the team back.
“We were just talking about it last winter, like ‘Hey, let’s start up the club baseball team again,’” Larson said. “We kind of asked a couple people we knew might be interested.”
Once Larson was able to start the team, he had to find a way to get equipment. Through Bradley and a generous benefactor, the club team was able to get the supplies it needed to compete.
“In the spring, we applied for funding from the [Club Sports Budget Review Committee (CSBRC)],” Larson said. “Then, the varsity baseball team donated a lot of equipment to us. [They gave us] helmets and jerseys and bats.
From there, Larson and Hempen were able to work the club team into the National Club Baseball Association, which is a Division II league of club baseball teams, that also competes nationally for the NCBA World Series title.
“We wanted club baseball back here,” Larson said. “It’s not as competitive as college ball, but it’s still fun to get back out there.”
The process of bringing back the club baseball team and starting an individual one may sound like quite a long course of action.
However, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Nick Kramer said that starting a club team relies on the students themselves.
“[The] majority of it has to be student driven,” Kramer said. “Not on how well [the team] does, but more or less on how committed they are.”
Kramer said that while he can help the team with budgets and funding, the pressure of making the team is directly in the students’ hands.
“You need to get the awareness out there,” Kramer said. “Post signs… Put it in the Hilltop Happenings. Just get the word out.”
Getting the word out for the team attracted players such as sophomore Alex Kryah, who recently pitched a no-hitter for the club when they beat Augustana 4-1 last Friday.
“They didn’t dog pile me,” Kryah said. “They came out to the mound and shook my hand and gave me hugs.”
Kryah said the thought of being a student athlete was just too much for him, but playing on the club baseball squad is the next best thing.
“We’re here for college, but at the same time we love baseball…The more I thought about it, I don’t think I could handle being a student athlete,” Kryah said. “It gives me the opportunity to still do what I love.”
While Bradley’s club baseball team is only going into its second year, Larson has high hopes for the team once he graduates this December.
“I’d love for them to compete in the NCBA World Series,” Larson said. “ It’s kind of tough because we’re a smaller school…With that said, we have the potential to have success.”
