Everyday of my summers were spent on the baseball diamond.  Lucky enough, I had a coach I enjoyed being around.  His name was Mike Cottrell and we called him “Coach Mike.”  He is 5’9”, and his skin burns bright red, and has stellar salt and pepper hair.

During the hot summers, water was a major necessity and “Sip, Don't Guzzle” was the most famous line he ever said. He wanted to make sure we weren’t feeling sick from drinking too much at once.  It was almost as if I were a rebel to chug your Gatorade.  Coach Mike was talkative and taught us on and off the field. 

Coach was intense during practice and games for the Hartland Hawks. If I wasn’t on task, I was getting a run in afterwards.  This made me realize that to get something you want, you have to work hard to earn it.  And my focus during practice paid off (we went 32-4 our 13u season). 

When I was young, I didn’t know how to control my temper, but he would find a way to put a smile on my face by cracking jokes up at the mound or telling me stories from his past and this got me to enjoy the game more.  He got me to see the game differently-- I wasn’t blaming myself for a loss or for the reason the opponent scored all of their runs.

Coach never gave up on me.  If I was in a slump or not staying down on my ground balls, he would take the time to adjust my swing or to hit me grounders.  I could tell the man always had my back.

“You don’t talk to my player like that,” was yelled at an opposing team's coach in my 12u season.  The Brookfield Central coach said (in a big time situation), “You won’t come up with a hit, you aren’t good enough.”  After, I hit in the game winning run and he doesn’t know it, but that hit was dedicated to him (the opposing coach).  Coach Mike was showing he had my back like Batman and Robin. He gave me confidence at the plate and gave me a better mindset to complete my task as a hitter. 

Coach got my team and I into tournaments you could only dream of.  Going to Cooperstown, New York, still is one of the greatest experiences of my life.  We played teams from all over the country and got to live in barracks with the squad for a week.  He took us to restaurants outside of the village.  He played mini golf with us and he challenged me to a round of 18. 

“Ahhh this is will be an easy win,” he said with a smirk on his face, but I was a mini golf pro, I knew he was in trouble.

We were on the 18th green and I was up one stroke--I had a six foot putt and I sank it like Tiger's putt to sneak passed the Memorial Cut. 

Coach Mike added memories to my baseball career including a victory in mini golf, having pride in me being his player, and giving me the experience of playing in Cooperstown.  He made me into the player I am today--and that’s a player who earns his spot in the lineup and who shows passion while playing the game.

Without him, I wouldn’t have had a shot at making varsity baseball as a freshman.  Coach Cottrell gave me the opportunity to do so.  I could not have asked for a better coach growing up.