Lucas hamelink: a pitcher with poise

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Lucas hamelink: a pitcher with poise

Freshman pitcher Lucas Hamelink’s first word was ball.

“I guess you could say I’ve been playing baseball my whole life,” he said.

Hamelink is one of the Chargers’ many young and promising players. He pitched the second game against third ranked University of Tampa two weekends ago in Florida, earning his first collegiate win.

As a little kid, Hamelink remembers playing baseball in the yard with his mother Susan and a tape ball. His father was always his baseball coach until he attended Gull Lake High School in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“I played just because I loved the game,” Hamelink said. “I didn’t like anything better than I liked playing baseball.”

Hamelink’s mother Susan said he always took the game seriously, even in little league.

“He got frustrated when other kids were looking at airplanes in the clouds,” she said. “He’s always been pretty serious about playing baseball.”

In high school, Hamelink’s team made it to the state tournament every year and reached the final four in his junior year. Playing in the state semifinals in Battle Creek is one of Hamelink’s favorite baseball memories.

“I used to always go there and watch minor league games,” he said. “It was awesome to step onto the field and play there.”

Hillsdale College began recruiting Hamelink during the summer before his senior year of high school and made an offer in November 2011. Assistant baseball coach Eric Theisen said he saw Hamelink throw in a showcase and was immediately impressed with his ability. Theisen said Hamelink has only continued to impress after he signed with Hillsdale.

Hamelink said he is glad to be at Hillsdale.

“I love the small school atmosphere and the sense of community,” he said. “Hillsdale baseball might not have all the amenities as a larger school, but I think the guys on the team and the characters that we have definitely make up for that. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Lucas is a humble guy,” Theisen said. “He kind of just goes out there and does business as usual, attacks hitters, and throws a lot of strikes and lets hitters get themselves out. He gives our team a chance to win every time he pitches.”

Hamelink throws three pitches for strikes, and consistently reaches the upper 80’s in his velocity- strengths that caught Theisen’s eye.

There is one word that appears in coaches’ and teammates’ descriptions of Hamelink’s ability: composure.

“Lucas has great mound presence, which means he never gets frazzled,” head coach Paul Noce said. “For a freshman, that’s really good because there’s more to pitching than just the physical. There is a lot of mental work, and he has a great presence.”

Hamelink is soft-spoken and hesitant to say anything about himself.

“I’m not self-aware of my own style,” he said. “I just go out there and try to get batters out.”

Hamelink’s mother has watched her son grow from the little kid playing tee ball in the backyard to the collegiate pitcher on a pitcher’s mound.

“He never seems to be shaken, even if he throws a bad pitch or there’s a bad call,” she said. “He takes one pitch at a time and he always seems centered and collected.”

These strengths should serve him well as he looks towards his and the team’s goals for the year. Hamelink said the team wants to win GLIACs this year, win the GLIAC tournament, and make it to the NCAA tournament.

“We really want to turn this program around,” he said.

Perhaps Hamelink will play a prominent role in reaching these goals. But don’t expect to hear him say that.

“It’s just what I love to do,” he said.