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.

"End of the Road" (posted on May 16, 2012)

This last blog has been a difficult one for me to write. Last week, the Cougars' season came to a close at the NAIA Opening Round site at Indiana Wesleyan. We didn't play as well as we would have liked, but sometimes that happens in sports. There is no value in pointing the finger at each other over who should have done what or not have done that. The reality is that we are done playing this season. This has been a great opportunity to reflect back on the amazing things we have accomplished this season. After graduating 13 guys from the team last season, the Cougars managed to jump to a more competitive conference, finish in the top three in the regular season, win the conference tournament, and make our third straight appearance in the NAIA Opening Round.

It has been a great season for us. We took on many challenges from traveling the most distance in the conference to sustaining some key injuries at the beginning of the season and all the way down to the last week of the season. This is the most resilient group of guys that I have ever had the privilege to play with. Needless to say, this aspect of the journey has come to a close, but the journey never stops. While we will never be the 2012 Mount Vernon Nazarene University Baseball team again, the relationships that we have formed in the last year of training, competing, and growing together will remain many years into the future. That journey together never stops.

In this final blog I would like to introduce two of my good friends, Jeff Estep and Jerrob Decker:

Jeff Estep

Jeff is a senior pitcher/infielder for the Cougars. Estep is one of the most ornery individuals I have ever met. The guy is always up for some hilarious experiences. Jeff is one of the funniest characters you will ever meet. He always has a way to make any situation enjoyable. Jeff is an amazing contributor on the team with the way that he carries himself. He enjoys baseball, and he helps others enjoy the game as well. At this level of baseball, it is very easy to make the game an intense work-like experience. Sometimes you can take the fun right out of a game that you love. Jeff always finds a way to help people enjoy the game. It is a gift that he has that few people at this level have. Just by the way he plays the game, without saying a word, he helps you get back to enjoying the game like you did when you were a child.

Jeff Estep	Jerrob Decker

 Jerrob Decker

Jerrob is a senior right-handed pitcher for the Cougars. Over the years, Jerrob and I have been very close. We became close friends as freshmen and that friendship has just developed over time. We have the exact same sense of humor and it has gotten us both in trouble in class over time. Jerrob is a genuine person who enjoys forging relationships with people. It has been amazing to see the spiritual growth that he has had since our freshman year when we moved in to MVNU. I know the road has come to a close with Jerrob and things did not turn out the way that he wanted with an injury this offseason. But I am confident that the way that he has handled this storm in his life has brought him closer to God who has so much more in store for his life. I am thrilled to see the way the Lord blesses Jerrob in the years to come.
 
With you on the Journey,

JB

Matthew 11:28 

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