This season, Rapids Catcher Andrew Giesey will be sharing an inside look at what it looks like to play for the Genesee Rapids. A native of Penn, PA, Giesey recently completed his junior season at Thiel College in Greenville, PA. This spring, he batted .264 with 14 runs scored and 12 RBI. Behind the plate, he had 113 putouts which ranked him second on the team. As the Rapids prepare to open the season at home on Friday night against the Hornell Dodgers, read Andrew’s first blog entry below that looks at his process of joining the Rapids and some of his goals for the season ahead.
When I was in my search for a summer baseball team, I talked to some of my teammates and coaches. Alex Lam was one of the people I had talked to. He had played with the Rapids last summer and had a great experience. After hearing his story about the team and the quality of baseball, I wanted to pursue it for myself.
I then went to talk to my college coach about how to find a team in the NYCBL. He advised me to fill out recruitment forms on the website, and he would call the team that I was interested in. One morning, I received an email from the Rapids stating that my application was being reviewed, and they would be calling my college coach to gather some information. About noon the same day, I told my coach to expect the phone call. As I said that, Mr. Kerr from the Rapids was calling him.
After the phone call, my coach emerged from his office saying it was a good phone call, and I should expect to hear from Mr. Kerr. Within the next 10 minutes, I was on the phone with him agreeing to play on the Rapids this summer. The process was very timely and straight forward, and I was grateful for how efficient the process was.
I am very excited to be able to compete with the Rapids in the NYCBL, as it will provide an opportunity to play baseball at a high caliber. With this, I hope to improve myself by exposing the lacking areas of my game. In addition to baseball, the Rapids are a team with Christian roots. This was meaningful to me because I have grown up in the church, and faith is an important part of my life. As I am sure many college athletes know, it is hard to balance school and sports while finding time to attend church and Bible studies regularly. This summer will provide me the opportunity to grow in my faith while playing baseball. I could not ask for much more.
I am looking forward to what the summer will hold with the potential to grow in faith and baseball, all while I continue to grow as a person.
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