Grand Rapids, Minn. -
UND baseball sophomore Jake Magner spent his summer nearly 1,500
miles away from his home town of Grand Rapids, Minn., on the Outer
Banks of North Carolina. The Sioux slugger was picked to play in the
Coastal Plain Amateur Baseball League and began his summer season in
late May playing first base and batting clean up for the Edenton
Steamers.
Magner
was named to the American Team in the Coastal Plain All-Star
Game and finished the campaign with a league-leading 12 home runs.
Below is his final installment of a summer blog that
Magner provided for Sioux fans on his experiences in a league that
features wood bats and some of the top collegiate players in the nation.
SWINGING ON THE BANKS: My summer with the Edenton Steamers ended a few weeks ago with a first-round playoff loss to the Peninsula Pilots. I made the 25-hour drive
back to my hometown of Grand Rapids, Minn. and used the last two weeks to
catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation. Playing games six or seven
times a week can really start to wear on you, but I wouldn't trade it
for anything.
I am very glad I had the opportunity to spend my summer
in Edenton, N.C. playing for some of the best fans I have ever played for
in my entire life. Every home game the stands were packed with a thousand
loyal Steamers fans. Whether we won or lost, they were always happy to
spend the night at Historic Hicks Field watching us compete.
Also
sitting in the stands were our host families. These families sacrificed
much of their summer to take us in and feed us and give us a comfortable place to call home for the summer. They treated us like one of their own and really
made the transition to North Carolina very easy for me. I want to thank
the Fields' again for taking me into their home and giving me a summer
I will never forget.
I will take everything I learned and gained
this summer with me to Grand Forks and the UND baseball team. I feel
that playing 57 games against quality competition has really bettered
me as a player. I am excited to get out on the field again and show
what I can do at UND this spring.
I have made lifelong
friendships over the summer and met people that I will never forget. It
was a great experience and I am excited to do it all over again next
summer.
Courtesy: FightingSioux.com
