Despite an unorthodox journey as a collegiate athlete, graduate student聽(Waynesboro, Va./Wilson Memorial) brings a high level of leadership and expertise to the 91短视频 baseball team.
Frazier spurred 91短视频 to a pair of ODAC wins last week, batting .583 with six runs and six RBIs in just three games. He hit a pair of home runs in an 8-3 win at Washington and Lee and finished the week 7-for-12 with four extra base hits, for a slash line of .583/.643/1.250.
After graduating early from D-II Concord University where he played two seasons of baseball, Frazier was still eligible to play for the Royals as a graduate student. The transition from Concord to Eastern Mennonite was very smooth due to 91短视频鈥檚 welcoming community, he said.
鈥淭he coaching staff and players have been very welcoming and allowed me to come in and helped me to understand the culture of 91短视频 baseball,鈥� he said.
Frazier also steadies 91短视频鈥檚 defense, recently filling in at shortstop when he isn鈥檛 pitching.
鈥淚 do not find defense challenging because you have eight other guys on the field with you,鈥� said Frazier. 鈥淚 believe that all of our skill sets combined makes each of us versatile in our own ways. When I am at short I try to communicate with everyone on the field as much as possible, telling them tendencies I’ve seen from hitters or shifting position based on pitch location.鈥�
鈥淲hat Damon has done on the field certainly speaks for itself,鈥� Coach聽Ben Spotts聽said. 鈥淗ow he has produced for us on the mound and at the plate, and his versatility to play anywhere in the infield has been very important for our team this year and is a constant you can always count on.鈥�
However, playing postgraduate hasn鈥檛 been without its challenges.
鈥淟ast year the team was chock full of older guys who laid the stepping stones for the program, and this year all around we are a very young team who is trying to learn those stepping stones and run with them,鈥� Frazier said. 鈥淚 believe part of the challenge is trying to bring the energy and motivation for everyone on the team to keep pushing themselves to get better.鈥�
As one of the older players on the team, Spotts states that Frazier鈥檚 prior experience playing college baseball has helped him to become a strong leader on the team.
鈥淒amon as a leader does two things very well for a very young roster that we have,鈥� said Spotts. 鈥淔irst he remains very calm during parts of the game that are stressful. Whether he is pitching, playing the field, or hitting he is very calm in his approach, which allows for the moment to never be too big for him. This is a calming influence that he helps provide for our team. He also does a great job talking to his teammates about situations and how to approach them during a game or explaining to them what things to consider next time they are in the situation. He has a lot of experience in college baseball and wants to help his teammates learn from what he has experienced.鈥�
Frazier said that while he might not always be the most vocal leader on the team, he tries to make a difference by leading by example. He hopes that his young team members appreciate the time they have playing for 91短视频.
鈥淐herish every moment of your athletic career and always put the extra work in. I know it is clich茅 and everyone says it, but four years at college goes by in the blink of an eye.鈥�
During the off season, Frazier says that he put in extra effort in strength training, throwing and hitting. He hopes that his last season playing college baseball is his best one yet, and聽that he and the team’s other seniors can leave the program with fond memories and a stronger work ethic.
鈥淚 want these guys to remember the work we put in and the values that we instilled and hopefully they keep building on that work ethic and those values,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he program has a bright future and I would love nothing more than to be part of the next stepping stone in that future.鈥�
Frazier is pursuing a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on organizational leadership, and after graduating hopes to start a career in marketing.