Monday, February 16, 2015

2015: The Year of the (14) Seniors

Senior Mike Porcaro, a member of the Milwaukee baseball team, will once again be blogging all season long on the UWM website.

Porcaro is back in the saddle for his fourth and final season of blogging. Today is his first entry for the 2015 season.

***********************************************

Coming back with three wins after the first weekend feels pretty darn good. Obviously a little disappointed we dropped the last one, but anytime you come out of a gym and set the program record for the best start to a season, you got to feel pretty good about that. We had a ton of positives throughout the weekend. Our at-bats up and down the lineup were solid all weekend, and we got some quality pitching performances. Luke Meeteer was an absolute stallion all weekend, causing chaos on the basepaths. Him and Peake really set the table for us at the top of the order and made our offense go.

Lots of positives from our pitching staff as well. BK had a great start on Friday, which is absolutely crucial on opening day. I think this was a great starting point for our staff and they will only get better as the year goes on. For now, it’s back to the gym where we need to stay motivated and get better each day as we prepare for Louisville.

I want to do something a little different this year than in years past. Considering most of you reading this are probably the same ones watching our games, I want to focus less on the games and more about the guys and the fun we have as a team. I’ll do a little write up each week about the games, and at the end, I’ll interview a guy from the team each week. We’ll make a “call to the pen” each week so all of you can meet our team and get to know them.

First up in our ‘Call to the Pen’ series is leadoff man Luke “The Duke” Meeteer. Skeeter is in his fourth year with the squad out of Middleton, Wisconsin. He is a kinesiology major and future track athlete for Team U.S.A.

Paco: Skeeter, what is it like to be so fast?
LM: It’s cool I guess. I’ve always been faster than everyone else since I was little, so, it just feels normal.

Paco: Looking back at the weekend, what are your thoughts on the squad’s play?
LM: I thought we pitched very well and I thought our offense came together nice with some clutch two out hits.

Paco: If you were stranded on an island and could be with one teammate, who would it be and why?
LM: Sam Hammer. I’m not dying if I’m with Sam. Dude knows how to do every single thing. McShane is right up there too.

Paco: Let’s say you have an off day, and no baseball obligations. Describe your ideal day?
LM: Go to the Pancake House for breakfast. A touch football game with the guys and hang out with my family.

Paco: For people that don’t know, you could of played football at Wisconsin. What’s better, hitting a home run or scoring a touchdown?
LM: Scoring a touchdown is better because you score a lot more touchdowns than you hit home runs. (Mike Goetz nearby: “Because they dumbed down the bats and not the footballs.”)

Luke getting burnt for a TD back in high school. Looks like he made the right choice to play centerfield instead of defensive back.

Quick Hits…

Favorite food: Chipotle
Favorite movie: American Sniper
Favorite baseball player: Mike Trout
Pet peeve: Not doing dishes. (Justin Jaquish nearby, Luke’s roommate, “Coming right at me.”)
Vacation spot: Hawaii
Celebrity crush: Blake Lively
Song you’d want to perform on a karaoke stage: Roses by OutKast