Richard Hurd, LF, class of 2008

Before I came to Rhodes College I played very competitive baseball on my high school and summer league teams--every year the metro-Atlanta area produces some of the finest baseball talent in the nation. Nearly all of my teammates, or at least those who shared my dedication and passion for the game, saw themselves as Division I-caliber ballplayers. Like most of my friends and teammates, I too hoped for nothing less.  The way I saw it, because Division I baseball would be the most competitive, that’s the road I wanted to pursue. 

When I decided to come to Rhodes, I had some concerns, although overall I felt good about my decision. After all, I knew that Rhodes would be able to provide me with a perfect environment to get a great education, both in academics and in adjusting to college life. I was and always have identified myself as a student who plays baseball, and not the other way around. But, it was not Rhodes’s academic reputation but rather Coach Jeff Cleanthes that attracted me to the school. He went out of his way to see that I came to Rhodes to be his centerfielder and leadoff hitter, and that is exactly what happened. Coach Cleanthes and the assistant coach, Rob Schrier, were both centerfielders, leadoff hitters, and prolific base stealers during their collegiate careers, and so I knew that Rhodes offered a perfect situation for me to learn the game and develop as a player.

Still, I felt that in a way I had made a kind of a tradeoff.  I assumed that I would be trading a great education and college experience for a team that would truly be able to compete and strive for excellence on the field. I was coming into a program that went 13-23 in 2004 , the year before I came, and by the end of my freshman year our 11-28 record hardly seemed an improvement. Coach Cleanthes wasn’t fazed, however. He emphatically stated at the end of the 2004 season that “we have what it takes” to be one of the best Division III teams in the country. I think that our 2006 and 2007 seasons have proved him right.

I remember talking with Coach Cleanthes over the phone as a senior in high school.  He told me that his goal was to turn the Rhodes baseball program around to the point of being able to compete for a national championship. As my teammates and I wait to see whether or not we will get a bid to the NCAA Division III regional tournament, we are confident. We are confident that we deserve to go to the tournament. We are confident that we have a legitimate shot at winning the region and going to the World Series in Appleton. During the entire season I have yelled, “The road to Appleton!” in our team huddles. I say it in jest, but we are all confident that we have what it takes to compete. In fact, we know we do, but for now, it’s time to just let the chips fall where they may.