Throughout the course of the 2012 season, MVNU junior pitcher Justin Brown will write a weekly blog about what is happening with the baseball team.

"The Florida Sun" (posted on March 26, 2012)

Well, the Cougars have returned from a nine-day trip down to sunny Florida. Most years, this is a break from the unpredictable weather in the spring in the Midwest. But while we were in Florida, the weather was not too different back home in Mount Vernon. Our yearly trip to Florida provides us with an awesome opportunity to grow as a team on and off the field. This year, we played 10 games against a pretty competitive schedule that forced us to square off against a number of teams that have over 20 games under their belt. We ended up going 5-5 on the trip, but our record is not an accurate portrayal of the many positives we left Florida with. For many games, our offense was explosive, while other games showed the dominance that our pitching staff can possess. The objective for us the rest of the year is to find a way to make both click at the same time. Overall, we feel encouraged about our play on the trip, but at the same time there is a sense of dissatisfaction with where we are. We all know that we need to get better come playoff time, and I am confident we will do just that.

The trip consisted mostly of baseball, but there were a lot of other awesome experiences for us. One thing that is so cool about this trip is the amount of families that come down to support us. It is an awesome experience as you bump into other parents in the hotel lobbies, local restaurants, or between games. It really creates an atmosphere that we are one big family. On behalf of all the members of the Cougar baseball team, we want to thank all the families that made the trip with us to Florida. Your encouragement and meals/drinks between games made the trip memorable for us all.

One of the great opportunities we have in Florida is to connect as a team. For nine days, we all lived in really close quarters. We fought like brothers would and we made amends like brothers would. While in the hotel, we had many opportunities to dig beneath the surface into each other's lives. One night, we had a Bible study out of Proverbs 18:21: "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." For over two hours, we as a team individually spoke life into each player's life, not just about their ability on the field, but more so their character that makes them who they are. It was a great experience and brought each of us closer together as brothers. As we continue on this journey through the 2012 season, we are reminding ourselves of the ability the tongue possesses to speak life into each person along the journey with us, hopefully you can take that with you into your lives as well.

At this time, I would like to introduce three more Cougar baseball players - Sterling Harpst, Sean Fleming, and Jeff Stone:

Sterling Harpst

Sterling is a red-shirt freshman, second baseman for the Cougars. Sterling has the best fielding hands out of any baseball player I have ever played with. It is awesome to see how quickly he unloads the baseball. Off the field, Sterling provides the team with an awesome sense of humor. He has some of the best baseball chatter you can find anywhere. I love his competitive spirit and his child-like approach to the game. You can tell he has fun when he plays the game and that is refreshing.

Sean Fleming

Sean is a sophomore outfielder for the Cougars. Sean is a great teammate to have. A lot of our guys would call him "crazy" for some of the things he does, but that is just his sense of humor. Sean takes his business on the field seriously, but when struggles come Sean clears them out better than anyone I know. It is a great example of how to not let the game dominate your life. His sense of humor lightens the mood for a lot of us, but at the same time he has a competitive fire that leads the team. He does an amazing job in finding the balance in that dynamic.

Jeff Stone

Jeff is a sophomore third baseman. "Stones" as a lot of us call him is one guy on the team that will have your back in any situation. I sometimes think he looks at everyone of us as literal brothers. He would do anything for anyone on the team and that just sets the tone for the rest of us. Stone a lot of the time plays with a chip on his shoulder, which is awesome to see his competitive desire. I am so happy that Jeff is here with us on this team - the place would not be the same without him.

We thank you for your prayers and support during our trip in Florida and we look forward to seeing everyone out at Cougar Field on Tuesday, March 27th at 1:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 31st at 1:00 p.m.

With you on the Journey,

JB

Matthew 11:28 

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