Hopkins got on the field at Fox Cities Stadium right on time for infield/outfield. The team spent about 50 minutes on the field fielding ground balls, catching pop flies and adjusting to the sun at that time of day. Our practice was scheduled for about the same time as our first game on Friday.
Following practice, we headed back to the hotel to rest up and get cleaned up for the NCAA Banquet. We all met downstairs about 2 hours later, with the team sporting khakis and their Columbia Blue baseball polos.
Bill Jartz, news anchor from WBAY-TV 2 in Green Bay, welcomed everyone and gave a few opening remarks before the Fox Valley Symphony Brass Quintet played the National Anthem. As they have done all season long, the team sang the anthem, adding their usual "home of the Jays" at the end instead of "home of the brave".
Following a video of all the teams on their road to Appleton, there were several awards given out. The Elite 88 Award, the regional coaches of the year, the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove team and the ABCA/Rawlings All-America teams were all announced.
Head coach Bob Babb was named the Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, while sophomore Sam Eagleson, grad student Brian Youchak and senior Dave Kahn all earned First Team All-America honors. In addition, Youchak was named the ABCA/Rawlings Player of the Year. So overall, it was a good night for the Blue Jays. Other than being referred to as "John Hopkins" in the video.
That concludes day two in Wisconsin. Tomorrow is game day! Hopkins takes on Heidelberg in the third game of the day. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 pm at Fox Cities Stadium.
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