From Dragons to Hawkeyes
I think we can all safely say that no one predicted the past 8 months of our lives. I was fully prepared to spend the rest of my senior year in high school differently. I remember showing up to practice on March 12th and hearing the news from one of our coaches that the Division 1 Baseball season was being cancelled. After seeing the written statement from the NCAA, it was clear to me what the outcome was going to be. That would be my last day at practice for three months. As the situation unfolded, the Iowa High School baseball season was unexpectedly allowed to resume with new rules and regulations regarding Covid-19 on June 1st.
My experience with Johnston baseball was definitely one of a kind. My love and interest in sports — baseball specifically — certainly wouldn’t be the same without the equipment and environment I was blessed to be a part of. The team at Johnston was built on character over victories. That dynamic shaped me more than any other experience in high school could. We were fortunate enough to work with technology other programs don’t have at the collegiate level, let alone high school. The staff is composed of managers and coaches alike that genuinely want everyone to succeed. In a season that was a sprint to state qualifiers, we all relied heavily on what we could see physically and statistically from the data collected at our practices.
I really found my place in baseball my senior year, where I thoroughly enjoyed biomechanics and researching Blast Motion metrics for hitter development plans. I spent a lot of my time during quarantine researching breathing mechanics and how it can affect a player’s outcome on and off the diamond. We were all very lucky to have a coach like Michael Barta who continuously trusted us and our research, and allowed us to run unique projects. I ran pre-practice and helped the athletes with their arm care and dynamics stations. While they sometimes got sick of seeing my face everyday and doing what must have seemed like endless lame stretches it was interesting seeing how some simple adjustments can affect player performance. We added basic yoga to pre and post practice to help strengthen the diaphragm and make breathing more natural. I was lucky enough to have some of the players genuinely trust my opinion and accept feedback regarding how they can help improve by developing different breathing habits.
During Johnston’s run at the state tournament this year, I was starting my project for my application to be an Iowa Baseball student manager. I had never been more anxious to prove my knowledge than in this setting. I had never wanted to be a part of something more than this program. I decided to attempt to take on the monumental task of pitch development and design for my application project. Coach Barta and the rest of the Johnston Baseball community were incredibly supportive of me doing the project even with all of the scouting and practice material we had to go over. Using the pitching Rapsodo unit and testing out the Insight system I started mapping out a plan for one of Johnston’s pitchers. As a sidearm pitcher, I recommended the option to find a consistent delivery that would allow for his pitches to tunnel more as a result of a repeatable delivery.
He was very willing to take on new learning, as we all used this time to get familiar with the Insight unit for future use within the program. I loved testing my knowledge and developing new theories as to why certain pitches played the way they did. While the project was in its raw form when I submitted it, I validated my risk with the understanding that helping my team was necessary even if I couldn’t further my career in baseball.
My dreams all came true in August when Johnston was able to bring home the state trophy. To finish off my strange senior year with a championship with these players I’d grown so close to, life just couldn’t get any better could it? However, only a couple of days later I received a life changing call from Ryan Gorman letting me know that I would get an opportunity to be a part of the Iowa Baseball program as a student manager.
This year has been very stressful year for everyone, but I ended up having one of the best experiences of my life. Having the opportunity to join a program where the values are similar to the ones at Johnston is the most gratifying feeling. I have dreamed of being everything from a princess to a doctor. If you told me a year ago I’d be writing a blog for the Iowa Baseball Managers I’d laugh at you. I have never been more passionate about a career and goal than that of baseball. Being able to understand this sport and to be respected with my opinions is a feeling like no other. I am eternally grateful for every opportunity I have received within the Iowa baseball program, and I hope to continue living out my dream. I want to thank Coach Barta, my best friend, and the Johnston family for being my inspiration and believing me when I wasn’t sure of my own potential. In this day and age where everything is rapidly changing, I’m glad to be a part of a team where we all push the boundaries of what is known. It’s always a great day to be a Hawkeye!
