A lot has been going on since the last time we connected. First off, I would like to apologize for being M.I.A. for the past month and a half. It has been quite the adventure, but I’m here now to fill you all in on what’s been hot in Seattle.
The only thing that’s been truly “hot” in Seattle is coffee in the morning and tea at night. It’s been a blistering 30 degrees out the last few times we have had morning weights and outdoor sporting events such as football or soccer games haven’t exactly had tank top weather. Speaking of which, you can say that UW Athletics have been heating up the nation for the entire year: Football beat two top 10 teams (Stanford and Oregon State, in case you missed seeing us rush the field on both occasions), both Men’s and Women’s soccer made the NCAA Tournament, and Men’s Golf and Volleyball have been ranked in the top 5 nationally for as long as I can remember. It has been incredible watching all of these different teams succeed on a national level while exemplifying an incredible passion for their respective sports. This makes watching and training with them that much more special. It’s like one giant family, with world-class athletes. Pretty sweet, right?
On to baseball. It feels like just yesterday that we were all seeing each other again in the locker room, exchanging summer ball stories and getting a read on the new guys. Well, say goodbye to those days because all of a sudden you look around and realize that Fall Ball is over! It is amazing to look back and picture where we were on Day 1 compared to the group of committed teammates that we have today. As any ballplayer knows, Fall Ball is a time to prove you belong and win a spot on the team or in the rotation. It’s ruthless; cutthroat even. Don’t get me wrong, we would do anything for our teammates, but once we hit the field nothing else matters but winning each pitch, each play, or each at-bat. This fall season paralleled the grind of the full season: injuries forcing other players to grow up faster, playing in extreme weather conditions, and the struggle to stay consistent. If you were here watching me type this, I would look you in the eye and say that this Washington Husky Baseball team will overcome anything thrown in our path. It happens everyday in the weight room, in the classroom, and the training room. Words can only explain so much, so I guess you’ll all have to see for yourselves come February 15th.
One thing that goes hand-in-hand with being a baseball player at U-Dub is your skills on the ping-pong table. Ping-pong is a staple within our program. If you aren’t good at ping-pong then you better get good. If you have a weak serve or a lackluster backhand you better step it up quickly so you don’t single-handedly lose a game of doubles. The player power-rankings are changing everyday as different guys get a shot at the big dawgs. I’m proud to say that two of my roommates are easily in the Top 5 players on the team. But one hot streak by a dark horse player can really shake up the rankings. Washington sports have been doing that a lot lately.
I’m proud to say that I am almost 3 months out of surgery and I feel great. I’m no longer wearing a brace and I can’t think of any daily activity that I cannot do. Last week I finally started doing push-ups on the ground, which was a huge accomplishment for me. I have found that setting small goals makes it easier to get through the laborious process of completing two and a half hours of treatment everyday. I am also blessed to be going through this process with a great friend and teammate who also had Tommy John surgery. He’s about 4 weeks ahead of me so it is nice to be able to see the things that lie ahead for me. The friendship that we had before was great and this procedure has only made us grow stronger. We compete in everything we do, weights, rehab, training, and even eating. Boy can we eat.
If I know one thing that is certain, it’s this: no one will ever outwork the two of us, ever. The best part of this whole experience is that the harder we work, the harder the team works. We are all so close that no one wants to be that guy that lets the team down. At this point in my life, there is nothing I enjoy more than getting up in the morning and working with my teammates to be the best we can be. As I write this post, sitting in our locker room, I look up and see this quote inked on the wall: “A winner never stops proving it”. Stay tuned ya’ll, we’re here for the long haul.
Omaha.
Until we meet again.
Josh Fredendall
