Four Seniors Making Final Stand This Weekend
May 23, 2019 | Baseball
SEATTLE β Four players and one student manager will be recognized during senior ceremonies prior to Saturday's game against Cal at Husky Ballpark. Outfielders Blake Burton and Mason Cerrillo, pitcher Adam Davenport, first baseman Joe Wainhouse and student manager Jacob Hatloe will all be honored at approximately 11:40 a.m. prior to Saturday's noon first pitch.
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The four players were asked to reflect on their time at Washington and the following is a collection of their responses.
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What is your favorite memory as a Husky?
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Burton: My favorite memory was probably going all the way back to my freshman year when we were play UC Riverside and I got my first at bat in college baseball. It was a double off the right-field wall. In my second at bat I walked, so it was my favorite highlight of getting in there for the very first time and getting a base hit to start my career on the right foot.
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Cerrillo: Definitely going to Omaha and the playoff run with the guys last year. Getting to do that was unbelievable.
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Davenport: Joe DeMer's perfect game for sure.
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Wainhouse: It's been updated since last year's senior day. It's definitely Omaha and making that run with everybody and having just a great time.
What does being a Husky mean to you?
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Cerrillo: Getting to have the opportunity here really made me excited to be a part of what the university is doing and the bigger things and change they're trying to do.
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Davenport: Just to be around people that want the same thing and have the same goal, which is to be great in every area and everything they do from school to baseball to relationships, I think it was just really unique to be around people that were so similarly minded.
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Wainhouse: It's just great to be in this area. It's a great area of the country and it's a great city. It means a lot to the people for our success and the entire athletic department. People care a lot, so it's nice to be able to come in and do some good stuff for the people in the city, my family and everybody that is involved with the program.
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Burton: Being a Husky is everything to me. I always have wanted to come to the University of Washington ever since I laid my eyes on it back in my junior year of high school. When I made my decision, I knew it was going to be a tough route. I've always had people that are better than me, but you know what, I wasn't going to let that affect me. I was going to be the hardest worker out of everybody. That's kind of got me to the point that I am today. I learned valuable, valuable life lessons on both the baseball field and in the classroom. I've made all kind of connections in the community and on the baseball team that will be everlasting. Β I'm getting a world-class education and being here with my 32 other brothers' kind of means the world to me.
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What advice do you have to youngsters wanting to play college baseball?
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Wainhouse: Learn what your niche is and find what you're good at the start. As you go through you'll develop and you'll get better and better. At the start, just work hard and find your way on the field and do what you can to play because that's the best way to get better.
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Burton: For any kid that is still in high school or even younger that looking to succeed at the college level I'd say take it day-by-day. This game is a game of failure. If you fail seven out of 10 times you're considered a pro and maybe even a hall of famer. In life you're going to fail all the time. You kind of need to relate that and baseball together in the sense that you're going to have some downs, but there is going to be tremendous upside from those downs. You're going to get to learn from all of your mistakes. Never get discouraged or fed up. Just understand that at the end of the tunnel there is always a light. You're going to be grateful that you stick with it and just keep doing the hard work and everything will turn out better for you.
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Cerrillo: Keep working hard and don't limit yourself to just baseball. Take advantage of academic stuff and push yourself in all facets of life. Keep working hard, set goals and try to achieve them.
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Davenport: Find your "why" early on. Establish that and let it drive you every day because when stuff gets hard, that's what's going to keep you going.
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What will you miss most about playing at UW?
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Davenport: My teammates for sure. The relationships I've built here are for life. I'm super grateful for that. Moving on and not being able to see those guys all the time is going to be a big change, but I'm grateful for the time I had.
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Wainhouse: The collective group of guys. It's been three different group of guys, but it's always a great group of guys in this program. So I'm going to miss being with the guys.
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Burton: The thing I'm going to miss the most is being able to see some of my best friends every day on the team. It's been a brotherhood these past four years. I've known that at some point in the day I was going to see at least one guy on the team, if not all of the guys, every day. That will be the hardest thing, moving on and not getting to see those guys every single day. Those guys are there for you. They know what's going on in your life. If you're having a bad day they know, they're going to be there to support you. If you're having a great day, they're going to be the first ones there to pat you on the back. It's definitely the family aspect that I'll miss the most.
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Cerrillo: I'm going to miss being with the guys in the locker room and just keeping things mellow and getting to see the guys everyday.
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