By Nick Craddock

The pros in the MLB can get sidetracked in the quest for lucrative contracts and fame. The members of UK’s club baseball team play for something much simpler: The pure enjoyment they feel by participating in America’s pastime.

The UK club baseball team is beginning to become accustomed to the winning feeling too. The team has won back-to-back National Club Baseball Association Division II World Series, defeating Coastal Carolina 3-2 in the final held in Butler, Pa., in May, for their most recent championship.

“It felt amazing, one of the best things that’s happened in my life,” third baseman Chris Farrell said. “The first time we didn’t expect to win the World Series, and the second time our experience helped us overcome the opening loss (a 3-2 defeat to Lonestar College).”

Shortstop Kirby Mayer and second baseman AJ Schreiver thought repeating was surreal, considering they couldn’t believe the team won the first World Series.

“The first one was a shock and everything was a new experience,” Mayer said. “I remember telling AJ ‘If we win one game it’s been worth it.’ ”

Mayer attributes the great atmosphere in the clubhouse as the major factor in both World Series titles.

“We have camaraderie,” Mayer said. “This group of guys plays for each other and not for themselves.”

Clutch performances from pitcher Mike Berry and first baseman Brandon Hranicky were also instrumental in this year’s World Series triumph.

Berry, lauded by his teammates as one of the best pitchers on the team, was electric on the mound. Hranicky was equally impressive on offense, tearing the cover off the ball as he hit .500 during the World Series.

However, UK’s club baseball program wasn’t always the budding dynasty that it has become. In the first two seasons of the program the team struggled, part of the reason being the team competed in NCBA Division I with well-established club baseball teams. Then, the UK program transitioned to Division II and began to thrive.

Team president Pete Jones is the only member of the current squad to have played on the founding team. Jones has witnessed the entire UK club baseball history unfold and believes there has been a culture change on the team. Jones said every member of the small 19-man roster contributes to the team’s success.

Unlike UK’s varsity baseball team, the club baseball team is a player-run organization responsible for coordinating their travel expenses, practice facilities, personnel decisions and every other major logistical decision affecting the team. The university contributes $500 to $1000 in funding annually and the team is responsible for raising any extra funds.

“We do a lot of fundraising which can be time consuming,” Farrell said. “We also have intense two hour practices, two to three times a week.”

As the UK program embarks upon its fifth season, the team must decide if it wishes to return to compete in Division I for the following season. The competition would be more equal now that the UK program is no longer in its infancy, but the practice and travel schedules would become more rigorous.

“If you didn’t love the sport, you wouldn’t be playing,” Schreiver said. “You’ve got to put in the hard work. The reward is pride and passion.”