Mount Aloysius Graduating Baseball Seniors Have Quite A Day

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Cresson, Pa. – Baseball is, well, baseball and sometimes the rules of the game supersede ceremony, decorum and convenience. The post-season playoff schedule called for a triple-header on the same day 10 Mount Aloysius graduating senior ballplayers, were scheduled for Commencement. Pitt-Greensburg was heavily favored to win, but that was not the cards. The Mounties took the three-game series by winning the first game, 4 – 2; game two went extra innings with the Mounties coming up short, 5 – 6, and the third game was a pound-fest that seesawed back and forth, ending with a late game mega-surge that gave the Mounties a 13 - 5 win.  But the best was yet to come.

Mount Aloysius President Tom Foley spends most of his time immersed in the rigors of academia. However, he viscerally understands the where, why and how of collegiate athletics. “We have 10 graduating senior baseball players who sacrifice a lot for Mount Aloysius College.” he said. “And at Mount Aloysius we make it a point to emphasize our student-athletes’ academic performance. It was not coincidental,” he added, “that just this year we won the first ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Award for the academic performance of our student-athletes. We are tops in the Conference and our baseball team’s academic performance is outstanding. We felt that the players, their families, our coaches and our faculty deserved a Commencement exercise for these student-athletes. We were thrilled to surprise them when they got off the bus after 22 innings of touch baseball.”

Graduating on the field with academic regalia, the 10 graduating Mounties ended a very full day. Not only did they win a hard-fought triple-header, advancing in the playoffs, but they also received their college diplomas from President Foley together with Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Timothy E. Fulop and Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Jane Grassadonia.

Mountie Baseball Coach Kevin Kime reflected on the season still in progress and on what it now means for the players to have their contributions recognized in such a special way. “I think every man on this team grew a little today,” he said. “We were ready for a sacrifice in missing graduation. We stood tough against a strong team, never gave up and came away with a tough win. At the end of the day, these men can stand tall with your fellow teammates, with family and friends looking on. They understand that what they contribute really matters to the school. I am very proud to be a Mountie today and so are they.”

Mount Aloysius President Tom Foley earlier conferred 12 Masters Degrees, 182 Bachelors Degrees and 194 Associate Degrees as 388 Mount Aloysius students joined the ranks of nearly 14,000 Mountie alumni worldwide. The additional baseball players took that total to 398. The regular Mount Aloysius College Commencement ceremony took place Saturday, May 5th at 10:00 a.m. in the Health and Fitness Center on campus. The events mark the 159 year students have graduated from Mount Aloysius. The school was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1853.

CAPTION: Graduating seniors from the Mount Aloysius baseball team, together with participants in their special “On-Field Commencement are, standing from left: Dr. Jane Grassadonia; Jacob J. Stumpf, Big Run, Pa., Associate of Science, Medical Imaging; Bobby J. Stephens, Houtzdale, Pa., Bachelor of Science, Information Technology; Stephen Daniel Hickey, Wayne, Pa., Bachelor of Arts, Criminology; Andrew R. Fitzpatrick, Johnstown, Pa., Bachelor of Science, Information Technology; Mount Aloysius College President Tom Foley; Matthew J. Cometti, Nanty, Glo, Pa. Bachelor of Arts, Criminology; Michael R. Godissart, New Plains, Pa., Bachelor of Arts, Criminology; Joseph A. Hribar, Windber, Pa., Bachelor of Arts, Criminology; Nathan C. Lindsley, Narragansett, R.I., Bachelor of Science, Professional Studies: Behavioral and Social Science Pre-Physical Therapy; Matthew J. Metzger, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Bachelor of Science, Business Administration; Michael D. Ondek, Pittsburgh, Pa., Bachelor of Science, Business Administration and Dr. Timothy Fulop. Kneeling, from left, are: Assistant baseball Coach Andrew Clouse and Head Baseball Coach Kevin Kime.