Player Interview: Luke “Cooter Shooter” Poethig

After a long hiatus, our “Player Interview” series returns with a special exit interview. Former PCB Co-President and graduating History/Art History buff, Luke “Cooter Shooter” Poethig, speaks about his favorite moments from the last four years, his thoughts on the future, and other things.

1)      Luke, looking back on your four years with Penn Club Baseball (three of which, you were heavily involved in as an executive), how would you describe the team’s progress and current status?

–The team’s progress has been remarkable considering we weren’t even in the NCBA my freshman year. J-rod, Mich, and Miller did an incredible job setting up and leading PCB to success. Unfortunately, we had a forgettable record this year, but the team is as strong as ever. From being involved with PennRec and having a presence on campus, PCB is definitely a top-tier club team.  Next year will be full of W’s.

2)      What are your favorite on- and off-field PCB moments?

–On-Field include MCCC scrimmage freshmen year, beating Hofstra (includes Miller’s scoop at 1^st), and clinching Regionals.  So many off-field memories come to mind: All the mixers, 6am conversation, Cavs trips, Pong tourney with J-rod, Mich, Big Bird, Trox, and Miller my freshmen year, Okie’s 6 dizzy bat performance, and my #1 memory of PCB…Abner’s and OE with Miller after clinching.

 3) It’s well known that you aren’t exactly sure what your immediate future holds, but what are your long-term goals? If it were up to you, where could current players find you in a couple of years?

–Living in Europe (Berlin) or New York, working in an art museum/gallery setting, teaching.  Potentially back in school within the next decade…using up the rest of my NCBA eligibility.

Lightning Round

Favorite PCB catch phrase?

–The obvious choice is “Rip…”, but I’ll keep it g-rated and go with “GATA” or “It’s a Legion Night”

Person you regret not getting to sock wrestle?

–Gromer

Jon Jones or Anderson Silva?

–Bones, purely because he didn’t even notice his broken toe

Loco Pez tacos or Honest Tom’s chicken burrito?

–Loco Pez $1 tacos all day errday. But shout out to HT’s, and Pasqually’s for that matter

This is Penn Club Baseball, so I have to… Favorite country song?

–Dirt Road Anthem without question

Speaking of music, A$AP or Danny Brown?

–A$AP, but the Danny Brown concert on 5/8 may reverse my answer.

Basquiat or Warhol?

–Jean-Michel

More memorable performance: Kiera Knightley in Last Night or Alexia Rasmussen in The Comedy?

–Wow, this might be the toughest choice, gotta go with Kiera. I have watched Last Night 5 times.

Place you wish you would have spent more time in while at Penn?

–Hmmmm…..Legion. Or Fox getting Big Boy Elio strong.

Mets or Yankees?

–Psychhhh. Always the Phils.

 

Farewell to a Frustrating Season

Last Game of 2012-13

Today marked the end of one of PCB’s most disappointing seasons in recent memory. After beginning the season with a stellar Fall series vs. Rowan, the team tumbled down a steep slope in the Spring. Poor execution, lack of attendance, scheduling, and tough breaks plagued us the last ten games.

We began by losing a non-conference DH to a very strong Penn State team. Our next series brought conference rival Rider to Mieklejohn Stadium on a beautiful early April weekend. Unfortunately, PCB struggled on both the defensive and offensive side of ball and lost three games. However, the highlight of the season came when we rallied in the bottom of the 7th with 8 runs; we ultimately lost after three extra innings. After Rider, we faced TCNJ over two weekends, losing two of three. We faced the conference leaders St. Joes in our final series, and played poorly–losing all three. 4-8 in the conference and 0-2 outside wasn’t what we hoped for before the season began.

That being said, with many downs came a few ups:

–Masaru Nogami, Ben Chambers, and Stephen Chernekoff playing in every single game of the season. These three players lead the team throughout the season, putting the team over their physical health.

–Matt Powery rebounding from his broken jaw and tearing it up at the end of the season. As the senior Co-President next year, “Okie” will definitely lead PCB by example.

–Bobby Alexander retiring from the Club Hockey team and returning to Club Baseball this year.

–Joe Strege’s successful job filling in as one of the team’s best pitchers

–Frosh catcher Matt Fink catching doubleheaders despite sleepless nights

–James Emerick’s amazing chauffeuring of the team in the “Cooter Scooter.” Oh yeah, he also did well in the outfield and behind the plate

–Matt Gus’s coaching third base and surprisingly good offensive production.

–Ben Rogers ripping the ball and taking grounders of his chin.

–And finally, Luke Poethig’s return to actually playing after three years of infrequent play. Although his performance wasn’t always pretty, “The Coot” had his shining moments.

–Most importantly, PCB had one of the best years off the field in years hosting killer BBQs and mixers with some of the finest ladies the campus has to offer.

And with that, the 2012-2013 season and the Coot era comes to a close. Looking at past, present, and future, the Penn Club Baseball seems to be on the Winner’s Curve. The upswing begins next year:

The Winner’s Curve

–Always a big thank you to our families, friends, and Penn’s Recreation Department for supporting Penn Club Baseball throughout the season. There’s no doubt our fanbase will continue to grow in the coming years.

See you at baseball field next year!

Intersquad Game Recap

This past Saturday, 18 PCBers played in our first annual Intersquad Game. Co-President Luke Poethig led the Red team while his counterpart Matt Powery managed the Gray team. The Red team pulled out a big 9-0 win thanks to great pitching and big hits. Blessed with great weather, we had a fantastic day of baseball that helped prepare us for our upcoming games against Penn State and Rider. Here’s some highlights:

–Cherney and O’hare throwing the 2 hit shutout vs. the Gray’s

–Rogers mashing at the plate and Luke’s base-loaded triple

–Charlie Bradford showing up and promptly saying: “This is the most intense game of baseball I’ve played since high school”

–Rawlin talking again

–Meyers throwing pretty well considering he hasn’t practiced in two months

–Luke’s game ball aka “My proudest baseball moment since 4th grade”…which I can assure you is very true.

–AND last but certainly not least, PCB’s postgame celebration later that evening. As sophomore Joe “All State” Strege perfectly summarized, “Sweet Jesus, that was raunchy”

Thanks to all those that showed for the game and afterwards, and Germantown Friends School for allowing us to use their field.

Series Preview: 3/16-17 vs. St. Joe’s

Rising temperatures means the spring baseball season is almost underway for Penn Club Baseball! Sitting atop our conference at 3-0, we hope to keep the momentum going against a 2-1 St. Joe’s squad.  Newcomers to our conference, St. Joe’s stands as a tough opponent for us. However, we’re confident we can start off on a good note and stay in 1st place. Here’s everything you need to know about the series:

Games 1 & 2: Saturday, March 16th, Game 1 first pitch begins at Noon and Game 2 follows after a half an hour break.

Game 3: Sunday, March 17th, 10am.

Where: Hostelley Field at the Nor-Gywn Baseball Inc. Complex.

–Come spend your St. Patrick’s Day with PCB as we being the 2013 season!

47′ Brand Sponsorship

Thanks to Senior OF Alex Siegel, PCB received an apparel sponsorship from 47′ Brand clothing. 47′ Brand provided us with custom PCB and high quality sweatshirts and buckle-hats. We’re very grateful to have custom apparel from such a well known and professional company.

47′ Brand is a licensed partner of the MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL, and numerous colleges. If you would like to purchase any 47 Brand clothing, definitely visit their website:

http://www.47brand.com/

Thanks to 47 Brand for keeping PCB the freshest sports club on Penn’s campus

Winter Break, See Y’all in January

With a hectic two weeks of Final finally finished, PCB heads into the Winter Offseason.  Our Fall season ended with a perfect 3-0 record, marked by great performances by our veteran and rookie players.  We will try to improve on our record in March and April and hopefully earn a spot in the Regional Playoffs.  To all our players, fans, and alumni, have a great Christmas and New Years and see you in 2013. Keep following us at our twitter: @PennClubaseball

PCBers win NCBA DII District South Weekly Honors

Penn Club Baseball is proud to announce that two of our guys won weekly honors from the National Club Baseball Association today. Third baseman and 3-hole hitter Ben Chambers won District South “Player of the Week” and freshman starter Doug “Slim Jim” Meyers received conference “Pitcher of the Week.” Here are their stat lines from this past weekend:

Chambers: 6 for 10, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and 1 walk. “Old Man” Chambers also played stellar defense while playing 21 innings at third.

Meyers: 1 win, 7 IP, 4 earned runs, 4 walks, 7 K’s, and 5 hits. Making his Club Baseball debut, “Slim Jim” showed a lot of of heart in his twig-like frame.

You can find the NCBA announcement here: http://clubbaseball.org/Div2/ConferenceDetail.aspx?conference=District%20II%20-%20South&year=

Big props to Chambers and Meyers having big games this past weekend