Welcome back Catamount fans to the 2020 edition of the Potomac State Baseball Player Diary. Through these diaries I hope to give you an inside look to what life is like here in Keyser, West Virginia for a Potomac State Baseball player, both on and off the field. These diaries will give you weekly updates on practices, games, a sneak peek inside our facilities, and what we do during our free time. Before we dive into the good stuff, allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Dale Houser and you may remember me from last year as, “The kid who laughs a lot.” I am currently a sophomore here at Potomac State College of WVU. In the classroom I major in Business Administration with an emphasis on accounting. I am from Marietta, Pennsylvania and graduated from Donegal High School in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.
I walk into this Player Diary adventure knowing that I have some big shoes to fill as last season Joel Spishock and Andrew Berry set the bar high pretty with some amazing video coverage, Instagram takeovers and more. Both of those Catamounts have moved on to continue their baseball careers. Joel at Slippery Rock and Andrew at the University of Charleston. I know I cannot touch the level they did, but I will do my best. I have a few ideas up my sleeve for the 2020 season.
Last spring we posted a 32-13 record, placed second in our Region XX tournament at Golden Park, and reached the Eastern District Finals at Harford Community College where our season sadly came to an end. The hardest part about last season was saying goodbye to our sophomore teammates. Those guys did what all sophomore classes do- they continue to set the standard that makes Potomac State Baseball special. They will be missed.
As we move ahead to the 2020 season we now have a clubhouse full of new and returning Catamounts that will hopefully be able to compete for a Region 20 championship and make it all the way to Grand Junction, Colorado to play in the Junior College World Series. Being a sophomore here means a lot because of the former players that have worn this uniform and established this program. The responsibility is not one that is taken lightly, and I know that the other sophomores and I are ready for the challenge.
We care happy to welcome back a returning Catamount in assistant coach Andrew Kowalo. Coach Kowalo began his coaching career with us last fall, but then moved on to seize an opportunity as a coach at the Virginia Military Institute in January of last year. Coach Kowalo returned to the Potomac State Baseball program this past fall and we could not be happier to get some more work in with him. He is a young coach with great playing experience, first here at PSC and then two years at Liberty University. He is always willing to put in extra time with all of us and his expertise and enthusiasm are great to have back this season.
Anyone that is part of the baseball community knows that much of your happiness is based on the weather. This year our fall season could not have been more different from last year’s. Last year it seems like it rained every day. We had cancellations and had to dodge raindrops until spring. This fall, however, we had great weather and rain rarely conflicted with our practice schedule and the nice weather stayed around long enough to allow us to throw in some extra practices well into November. The sun always shines in Keyser.
A typical week of fall practice at Potomac State in the fall would begin with individual defense and early infield work, meetings, reviews, conditioning, and weightlifting on Tuesday. On Wednesdays we would get in some early outfield work and then have a team defense day of practice that included pickoffs relays, bunt defense and 1st-3rd defense. On Thursdays we would be back at it with the early infield work, followed by a heavy dose of baserunning and offense strategies at practice and weightlifting. Friday would consist of early work for catchers and then our usual intense batting practice. BP at Golden Park is a blast. The coaches keep everyone busy and it seems like utter chaos the first few times for new guys, but it is highly organized and highly efficient. There is not a second wasted and when it is over you can’t help but feel exhausted. But that exhaustion is welcomed because you know you just improved as a player.
Over the weekends we would get some live games in and would then enjoy a day off on Monday. And if you’re a real Catamount fan you know to catch some of us at Queen’s Point Coffee in downtown Keyser for Coffee Monday.
This past fall season presented us with the opportunity to travel and play three NCAA Division I opponents, George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and George Washington University. It is always advantageous to play against upper echelon competition to prepare for the spring season, but my favorite road trip from the fall was traveling to Richmond, Virginia and playing VCU. VCU’s home field, “The Diamond,” is also home to the Richmond Flying Squirrels and playing on their field gives you a true big-league experience.
Some other highlights from the fall season included the construction of our brand-new player development center (more information coming soon) located right next to our clubhouse at Golden Park. The Catamounts were also gifted a new Hack Attack machine and Rapsodo hitting technology from our notable and gracious alumni. Thank you, baseball alumni! Eventually, all the fun from the fall season came to a justifying end with our famous 100 inning game. Yes, you read me right 100 innings of baseball!
Once our fall season came to an end, we upped the weightlifting ante to three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and we continued with hitting groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In the weeks leading up to Christmas break we also began mental advantage training with the help of certified mental performance coach, John Cullen. Within these training sessions we really set out to try and define our Potomac State Baseball culture and learn how to play together as a team.
Away from the field the fall was filled with many adventures including hunting, fishing, trips to the Keyser fire tower, Star Wars watching, and most notably, some home cooked meals thanks to the gracious grandmother of Catamount freshmen infielder, Graham Brown. The spring is sure to bring more fun and be sure to stay tuned and find out what we’re up to.
We just came home from our winter break on Sunday January 13 and had our returning team meeting that same night. It’s always hard to leave family and friends back home, but there is nothing better than a clubhouse full of brothers to get to work with. Our first practice was this past Monday and marked the beginning to a long, exciting, and hopefully successful spring season!
Thank you for tuning into the first player diary of 2020 and be sure to stay tuned weekly for more coverage throughout the season! Also, for more coverage follow the Potomac State Baseball on twitter (@PotomacStateBB) and Instagram (@potomacstatebaseball). If you have any questions or suggestions on videos, please email me at dwh0019@mix.wvu.edu.