Written by Doug Goodnough
The last time I stepped to home plate as a Charger, it was 1990. We were finishing the regular season at Saginaw Valley State, and my final collegiate at bat was a line out to the shortstop.
My college baseball career ended with a whimper, not a bang.
Fast forward 35-plus years. It had been nearly 30 years since I actually played in a real baseball game. A few years ago, I took some swings at a local batting cage with a childhood friend, and that didn’t go well. I did manage to dodge a dislocated hip but decided at the time it would be the official end of my “playing” days.
Enter Hillsdale Head Baseball Coach Tom Vessella. In May, we met, and Tom said he wanted to start an alumni baseball game that would be played at Homecoming. Of course, I would help promote and organize, since it was part of my role with the College.
And as I saw registrations start to come in, I had a thought: Maybe I would make one final appearance as a Charger. Help the program, I told myself. So I registered to play.
As Homecoming approached, this was my training strategy: I did nothing. No throwing, no running, no batting. I figured if I was going to be sore, it would be for the least amount of time.
When the day arrived, I decided to keep the minimalist approach to warming up for the game. A bit of throwing, a few swings in the batting cage, and a nice spot sitting on the bench for most of the pregame.
During pregame introductions, it really hit home that I was again a Charger. The fact that the alumni were allowed to experience playing on the new Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and TFO Partners Field turf made it extra special.
The seven-inning game featured the current Chargers against the alumni team. Thankfully, there was a great showing from our more recent Hillsdale baseball alumni who were able to carry the load, especially on the mound and behind the plate.
That left the more “seasoned” alumni to take cameo roles during the game. After the current Chargers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning, the alumni got a spark from the old-timers in the top of the third.
Steve Chiodo, ’84, drew a walk with two outs, setting the table for me. When the pinch runner stole second base on the first pitch, there was a running in scoring position. There I was, in a position I hadn’t been in for more than three decades: a chance to drive in a run.
Just for a moment, I could feel those competitive juices flowing again. I remembered my strategy during my Charger playing days: shorten the swing and drive the ball between shortstop and third base. Choking up on the bat, I hoped for an outside fastball. Sure enough, here it came, and my 57-year-old reflexes had just enough to drive the ball over the outstretched glove of the third baseman, careening off his glove and down the left field line, allowing the runner to score.
There I was, standing on first base, incredulous, with first base coach and former college baseball coaching legend Joe “Spanky” McFarland, ’76, congratulating me and quickly asking if I wanted a pinch runner. Of course, the answer was yes, so I trotted back to the dugout, experiencing a feeling I thought I would never have again.
I had my Hillsdale moment.
The current Chargers rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning to clip the alumni 4-3 (we did have a no-hitter going through six innings, just saying), but everyone was a winner in this game.
My temporary teammates agreed this was fun, and we managed, at least for one night, to turn the crowd against the home team (no hard feelings, Tom). What a blast!
It is the kind of experience the College and the Alumni Office hope to provide for our alumni in so many ways. For some, it is playing in an alumni game, or participating in a music reunion, or taking a class from a professor at White & Blue Weekend. But you must take that first step and register.
Have you had your Hillsdale moment? Take it from me, it’s not too late. And we’ll do our level best to help you experience it.
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s senior director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in October 2025
