Now that you all have gotten a little taste of how it is to be a Fighting Camel, I’d love to elaborate on how it is to be a Salamander. Life in Holly Springs has been a blast thus far, much better than I could have imagined. Being a part of this year’s team, the first ever Salamander team, has been an honor and a blessing. The Holly Springs Salamanders are enjoying their inaugural season in the Coastal Plain League.
Everything about the Salamanders has been first class. The front office has ensured that this first Salamander team will have a positive experience in every way. A trip to Holly Springs is a great family experience. The Holly Springs fans have been outstanding every time we take the field. They are very supportive during our victories as well as our defeats. There is nothing like playing in front a stadium full of fans that are vocal and committed to the team.
The coaching staff has been influential in setting the tone for our team. They are straight forward baseball guys that are relatable and easy going while remaining committed to winning every single night. The team is led by former Wolfpack standout Andrew Ciencin. The assistant coaches are Nick Magnifico and Aaron Meade. This coaching staff is all in each night. They will do whatever it takes to win. That being said, they understand the summer ball atmosphere and bring a lot of fun with a laid back energy each day as well.
While school ball is familiar and enjoyable, summer ball is a different kind of fun. Like I stated earlier, we do everything we can to win with a lot of extra fun on the side. To start, it has been a tremendous experience getting to know all of my new teammates. Everyone has been welcoming to one another. I have made great bonds that I will cherish for a long time. I have gotten the chance to meet guys from different schools from all over the country. Hearing stories about how other coaches run their programs is always interesting. We can all relate to the grind that is college baseball. Sharing laughs with the guys in our spare time is one of my favorite parts of this whole experience. It’s also much more comfortable now that we’ve played with each other for over a month. Baseball is a bonding experience and this is very true for the Salamanders.
In order to combine as much fun as possible with our baseball, we have created many forms of entertainment for ourselves even when games haven’t gone as planned. A few times nature has taken over and given us a little too much time to bond and joke around before or in the middle of a game. In a game a few weeks ago against the Fayetteville Swampdogs at our home stadium, rain halted us from getting started. We took to some rain delay shenanigans in competition with our opponents to make the crowd’s wait worthwhile. Acting out a deer hunting scene, a roller coaster ride, and a fashion show runway were only a few of the many ridiculous acts to our big show. Needless to say we had a lot of fun goofing off in front of our home supporters. The Swampdogs put on a good show but the Salamanders definitely won the rain delay entertainment competition.
Another interesting part of summer ball has been the trading back and forth of gear between teammates of different schools. I’ve seen a number of hats, shorts, and shirts traded for any other unique gear a guy could get his hands on. I, myself, haven’t been on either end of these transactions, but my teammates really enjoy this summer ball tradition. It’s fun to see how interested guys are with each other’s schools. I am sure my school coaches wouldn’t be too pleased with me walking around in a Charleston Southern shirt, so maybe I’ll just stick to my Campbell clothes!
Throughout all of these good times, we actually do play some baseball! We have gotten hot as of late; our best ball has definitely come in the past couple of weeks. The Coastal Plain League has outstanding players from many of the top baseball programs in America. Our guys love to be challenged by the best. Our home record has been much better than our away record. This hasn’t been much of a surprise to us though. It is a great deal easier for us to get motivated with big crowds behind us and that is what we have gotten most nights in Holly Springs. The atmosphere at home is comparable to that of a bigtime Division I school with the addition of a few more between-inning-games of course. As a player the chance to play ball at a high level with plenty of reps and at-bats has been invaluable. As a team, we are beyond glad that we have been given the opportunity to be the first group of guys to take advantage of being a Salamander.
With a few more weeks left in the summer, it is safe to say that I still have many laughs and a lot of good baseball ahead of me. Being a college baseball player is a pretty fun thing, and being a Salamander is the epitome of it. Go ‘Manders and always, Roll Humps!
