One last trip around the bases

Senior Bobcats play their final season of college baseball

By Brooks Luther

Bases Loaded.

Two Outs.

Bottom of the ninth.

Not even Norman Rockwell could have painted a more perfect scenario.

Senior Outfielder Wesley Wommack walks to the plate, bat tucked under his left arm as

he fixes his batting gloves while walking to the left-handed batter’s box.

Head Coach Jason Eller gives Wommack the sign package. Nothing is on. He tells

Wommack to swing away and win the game.

Wommack digs in, first the left foot, then the right. He takes a practice swing and locks in

on the pitcher.

Outfielder Shane Connahan takes an aggressive fake dash for the plate at third base;

outfielder Cameron Hill gets an athletic lead off second base; infielder Cal Gentry takes a

walking lead off first base.

The Georgia Southwestern State pitcher takes his sign and comes set. Wommack’s hands

and hips move slightly, giving himself a rhythm. After missing 5 games with a pulled hamstring,

Wommack is ready for a situation like this.

The pitcher delivers a fastball that cuts in on Wommack’s hands. Wommack clears his

hips early and hits the ball over the second baseman’s head and into right field.

Game over.
 The players spill out of the dugout and crash on Wommack. The crowd stands and cheers

for the game’s hero.

“It’s just part of the system. I wasn’t trying to win the game. I was just trying to put the

ball in play,” said the man who delivered the walk-off hit.

For Wommack, that moment was a culmination of the four years of work he’s invested in

baseball at Georgia College. But he’s not the only player to invest four years into the baseball

program. This group consists of seven players: pitcher Chandler Amason, pitcher Colin LoCurto,

pitcher Harrison Veldsma, pitcher Bradley Spinner, pitcher Logan Howard, outfielder Wesley

Wommack, and infielder Garrett Green.

For GC Baseball Head Coach Jason Eller, this group of seven players, who are among the

16 graduating seniors this year, symbolizes what it means to be a Bobcat and a member of the

“Green Machine”, Eller’s nickname for the team. Over the last four years, these seven players

have become the team’s leaders on and off the field. They’ve seen the highest of highs and the

lowest of lows. They’ve felt the joy of walk-off wins and the sorrow of being walked off.

They’ve experienced the happiness of winning conference tournament championships and the

sadness of losing in the NCAA Regionals. They’ve been through coaches being fired mid-season

and welcoming of an entirely new staff coming in during their second season.

Wommack and Green have earned spots to the All-Conference team and earned All-

Region team honors. Additionally, the group of seven was a part of two teams that won

conference tournaments and set a school record for Peach Belt Conference wins with 26. This

group led a team that was at the top of Division II baseball in fielding percentage in 2018 at .981

and led the nation in batting average as a team two years in a row, hitting .358 and .361

respectively.
 But this group isn’t limited to success on the field. The players are successful off the field

as well, each continually earning above a 3.0 GPA and setting a team record with a collective

3.26 GPA during the 2018 spring semester.

These accomplishments and tough times have brought the seniors to where they are now:

their final season as players on a college baseball field. Some of them might move on to

professional baseball, joining former Bobcat players like Brandon Benson and Logan Mattix,

both currently playing minor league baseball. Others will play their final competitive baseball

game ever and move into the workforce, joining former players like Trevor Guthrie, who is

currently a Sales Development Representative at SalesLoft in Atlanta, and Nate Schmal, who is

working as a Data Analyst for Ernst & Young.

Recently, four of the seven seniors who have spent the last four years in Milledgeville

reflected upon their time as Bobcats. And as all of them pointed out, despite what each of them

end up doing post-graduation, one thing is for certain – the players will always be grateful for the

years playing on John Kurtz Field. The bond between them will always extend beyond baseball.

Or as these players have learned from Coach Eller, “The guys that are standing next to you are

going to be your best friends for life. Y’all will be in each other’s weddings.

Wesley Wommack – a player who leads by example

Coach Eller preaches high-motor, talkative players who will hold their teammates

accountable or rally them up to try and get them back in the game. The player who everyone

looks to is Wesley Wommack, a rightfielder who is one of the vocal leaders of the GC baseball

squad.
 “I believe that if I provide some energy to the dugout and the field that the other guys will

follow and provide their own energy,” Wommack said.

Wommack has been a mainstay in the Bobcat lineup since he arrived at Georgia College.

During the 2019 season, Wommack has been crushing the ball in the second or third position in

the lineup and covering lots of ground as the starting right fielder. Injuries have hampered him

throughout the current season, requiring him to miss several games due to a nagging hamstring.

However, he hasn’t let the injuries bring his spirits down.

“When I’m in the lineup, I do what I can to help the team win. When I’ve had to miss

games, I try to be a dugout leader and keep the guys motivated all the time,” he said.

Wommack, a Monroe, Georgia native and Monroe Area High School graduate,

transferred to Georgia College after spending a semester each at Marshall University and

Georgia Perimeter College.

While attending GPC, Wommack had a surgery to repair the ulnar nerve in his left elbow,

which is also his throwing elbow. Because of the surgery, he was unable to play his first year of

college, having to take a medical redshirt.

“Not being able to play because I was hurt was the worst feeling I’ve ever had. I hated

not being able to be on the field with my teammates,” he recalled.

Wommack spent most of his first year in Milledgeville trying to gain back the arm

strength he had going into Marshall, but he found his way into the lineup by hitting rockets all

over John Kurtz Field.

He began the 2016 season, his redshirt freshman year, as the team’s starting designated

hitter, batting seventh in the lineup. As the team would need a different spark at times,

Wommack would start in left field.

 “It was frustrating that I couldn’t throw as hard as I wanted to, but I would make sure I

got to the ball as quickly as I could and get the ball back to the infield as quickly as I could,” he

said.

Wommack had a very strong redshirt freshman season, batting .340, hitting six home

runs, driving in 40 runs, and recorded 65 hits. This performance earned him two PBC Freshman

of the Week honors and the PBC Freshman of the Year award.

“It was such an honor to win the Freshman of the Year award. One of the best things I’ve

ever earned,” he stated proudly.

Wommack entered the 2017 season as one of the top hitters on the team, and the new

head coach Jason Eller placed him at the top of the order as the leadoff hitter, the first batter of

the game for the Bobcats. Wommack also began the season as the starting right fielder.

“I felt like I had my arm strength back,” he said.

As the season progressed, Eller placed Wommack in the fifth batting spot to take some

pressure off of him, as he had some struggles in the middle of the season. This helped his bat to

come alive, as he would have many multi-hit and multi-RBI games afterward, including a three

hit, five RBI performance against Augusta in April. Wommack helped take the team to the

conference tournament championship, which they won, and to the NCAA Regional tournament.

On the year, Wommack improved from his freshman year, hitting for a .365 average, hit six

homeruns, drove in 51 runs, had 76 hits, and recorded 13 stolen bases. This performance earned

Wommack a spot on the All-PBC Second Team.

“I was just trying to play the same way I did the year before and build on that year,”

Wommack said. “It felt good to go out and play that well.”
 In 2018, the Bobcat baseball team was Wommack’s. He was a third-year program player,

in his fourth year in college, and he started the year as the number three hitter in the lineup while

also retaining his spot in right field. As the season progressed, though, he would move in and

out of right field based on team needs, at times moving to center field or designated hitter, but

the constant was him in that number three spot in the lineup.

Wommack turned in many fantastic performances during the season, including a 5-for-5

performance against Francis Marion. He was an offensive leader on the team that won the Peach

Belt Conference Regular Season Title, owning a 26-4 record in conference and 44-12 overall.

However, all the winning turned bittersweet when the team was eliminated by North Greenville

in the NCAA Southeast Regional.

“To have all that success during the season and not make it to the College World Series

was awful. We all felt like we could’ve won the national championship,” he said.

Wommack won many awards for his performance in 2018, including the PBC All-

Academic team, PBC All-Tournament Team, PBC Tournament MVP, All-PBC First Team, and

All-Southeast Region Team. Wommack finished his best season yet by hitting for a .390

average, slamming four home runs, driving in 52 runs, recording 89 hits, scoring 56 runs, and

stealing 11 bases.

“Winning all of those accolades was a great feeling for me and huge culmination of all

the work I’d put in over the years,” Wommack stated.

As for the 2019 season – Wommack’s redshirt senior and final season – things haven’t

gone entirely how Wommack expected, and injuries have played a major part of that.

“I feel like the hamstring issue has affected my play a little bit, but I definitely have not

played up to the level that I know I can,” he said.

 Wommack said as the season winds down, he will look to continue to lead by example.

He’s currently third on the team in batting average at .393, has not made an error in the field, and

he leads the team in home runs with seven, runs batted in with 34, and slugging percentage at

.600.

“I’m working on just trying to get my hamstrings strong and healthy for the rest of the

season and help the team win some more ballgames,” Wommack said.

As for what’s next for Wommack, he is planning on moving to Atlanta and look for a job

in the business world, hoping to work in supply chain or logistics.

“I have done a few interviews and am still looking for a position, but I know what I want

to do,” he said.

Whatever the future may hold for Wommack, the lasting impact that he left on the

program and his teammates will be seen for many years.

Garrett Green – a player best exemplifies the “Green Machine”

When the team talks about what “Green Machine” baseball is all about, the players talk

about grinding out at-bats, taking care of the baseball, playing with heart and hustle, and being a

blue-collar player. The player who epitomizes that style of play is Garrett Green.

Batting either third or fourth in the lineup since the beginning of the season, Green has

been a model of consistency in the heart of the GC lineup.

“Whenever I go to bat, all I try to do is do whatever I can to get on base and give the

team a chance to score some runs,” Green said about his hitting approach.
Green has moved across the infield defensively, beginning the season as the starting third

baseman, sliding over to first base and now has moved back to third base. That is about par for

the course for Green though, as he has played a different position every year he has been at GC.

“It is tough at times to get a good feel for my defense when I’m moving around a bit, but

I do everything I can to get in front of the ball and make a play,” he said.

Green, a native of Bogart, Georgia and a North Oconee High School graduate, transferred

to Georgia College after taking a redshirt at the University of South Carolina—Upstate.

“Coming in as a redshirt freshman, I didn’t expect to start immediately or even play a

ton,” he said. “I’m just thankful I was given the opportunity.”

Green grew up idolizing Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, so it’s only fitting

that he started the 2016 season as the starting third baseman. However, with the team needing a

change in the lineup, he began playing left field partway through the season.

“I hadn’t ever really played left field before, but I would put in extra work with the other

outfielders to make me the best left fielder I could be,” he said about the change.

Green finished the year hitting .298, hit his first collegiate home run, and recorded 50

hits. He spent the summer following the season playing in the Sunbelt Collegiate League based

in Atlanta, Georgia, getting himself some more at-bats to prep for the upcoming season.

The next season, with a new coaching regime, Green was slotted in as the Opening Day

second baseman with All-American Brandon Benson as his double play partner. He spent the the

entire 2017 season at second base, but struggled through some throwing issues.

“I think I had a sort of mental block when throwing to first base from my position,” he

recalled. “I would be too careful in making my throw and would end up making a really bad

throw.”
 This wouldn’t be too much of a problem though, as Green improved, hitting .300, driving

in 36 runs and getting 60 hits. He was a key part of the team that won the Peach Belt Conference

Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament for the first time since

the 2015 season.

“It was a very good experience for us as a team as many of us hadn’t been in that kind of

atmosphere before, so we got some experience there and I think it helped us know what it takes

to get there and win a game,” Green said despite the team failing to win a game at the Regional

Tournament.

That summer, Green said he worked out almost every day and hit balls in the cage several

times a week in order to improve his game.

And he did improve.

Green came in the 2018 season like a deranged man.

“It seemed like every game for the first half of the season, he was getting two or three

hits. You couldn’t keep him off base,” said junior infielder Cal Gentry.

Green started the 2018 season batting at a near .500 clip, and remained above .400 until

the last couple weeks of the season. His season culminated with a 10 hit weekend against USC

Aiken, helping GC win two of three games. He completely destroyed his career high in batting

average, hitting .375, drove in 38 runs, recorded 78 hits, and scored 38 runs. He also recorded an

inside-the-park home run during the season.

Green attributed his success to one thing: “I just went up to the plate and tried to hit the

ball to right field. I wasn’t trying to do anything else, and it worked for me.”
 In 2018, Green was a catalyst at the bottom of the batting order for the Bobcats, making

sure the opposing pitchers became comfortable on the mound. He helped lead the team to the

regular season title, conference tournament title, and another Southeast Regional bid.

Green has continued to be a leader for the GC baseball team for the 2019 season. He’s

currently tied for the team lead in doubles with ten, fifth on the team in batting average at .343,

fourth on the team in runs batted in with 25, and is second in hits with 58. He also recorded his

200th career hit on February 15th, and he has been steadily climbing up the GC career

leaderboards.

As for what’s next for Green, he will being going back home to Bogart, Georgia and look

to begin a career in the business industry.

“I’m still not 100% sure what I’ll be doing here. But I am looking forward to this next

chapter of my life,” he stated.

Colin LoCurto – a player who dominates out of the bullpen

Every pitcher has a “thing” that makes them unique from every other pitcher. For some,

the “thing” is their pregame routine. For others, the “thing” is the way they warm up. For others

still, the “thing” is their demeanor on the mound. For senior pitcher Colin LoCurto, the “thing” is

the way that he throws.

LoCurto is a sidearm pitcher, meaning that his release point in his throwing motion is on

a low, horizontal axis as opposed to a high, vertical axis for overhand pitchers. Baseball experts

claim that throwing sidearm decreases a pitcher’s velocity because there’s more forces working

against it. However, experts also stipulate that it allows for better ball movement because of
those forces working against it. Either way, LoCurto dropped down to a sidearm release while in

high school due to a shoulder injury that never quite healed.

“I had no other option but to throw sidearm if I wanted to keep playing baseball,” he said.

So far this season for the Bobcats, LoCurto has been the best pitcher out of the bullpen,

pitching in over half of the team’s games. His demeanor on the mound has significantly changed

from years prior. He is now more aggressive, more intense, and he leaves everything he’s got on

the mound. Whenever he’s asked if he can pitch, his answer is always, “I’m always ready to

pitch.”

LoCurto, a native of Kennesaw, Georgia, and a Kennesaw Mountain High School

graduate, came to Georgia College straight out of high school in the fall of 2015. A two-sport

athlete in high school, LoCurto brought with him to GC Baseball a strong work ethic. One of

four sidearm pitchers on the team, LoCurto worked hard to earn a large role on the team among

the competition. However, 2016 was not to be his year.

Struggling with his command, LoCurto only made five appearances on the mound that

year and gave up seven runs in just four innings pitched with one game lost. He did manage to

hold opposing batters to a .125 batting average, a bright spot in his young career.

Also, LoCurto was named a PBC Presidential Scholar in 2016, helping set the team’s

high academic expectations.

During the summer, LoCurto went to the Valley League in Covington, Virginia, where he

found success and developed a new mentality.

“I wasn’t going to go through what happened my freshman year again,” he said. “I was

going to go right at the hitter standing in that batter’s box.”

 With Head Coach Jason Eller arriving in 2016, LoCurto came back to Milledgeville with

a new mentality. LoCurto became a bulldog on the mound, not caring who stepped into the box

and going right at each and every hitter, catapulting himself to being one of the top pitchers on

the team.

When the season finally rolled around, he was poised to be one of the top three relief

pitchers for the team. One of his finer outings came against the #2-ranked Tampa Spartans,

where he went nearly three innings and gave up just one hit and one run before the Spartans hit a

walk-off single to win the game 6-5. He earned his first career save against Embry-Riddle

University on Feb. 17, then earned his first career win three weeks later on March 4 against

Philadelphia University.

LoCurto maintained his ranking as one of the top relief pitchers on the team throughout

the season. He finished the year sixth on the team in innings pitched with 30.2, tied for second on

the team in appearances with 19, tied for third in wins with three, and sixth in strikeouts with 22.

“One of my proudest moments of the season was that I was able to hit 87, 88 mph on my

fastball. Looking back, that wasn’t a good thing, but at the time, it felt amazing that I could

throw that hard,” he recalled.

LoCurto spent the summer with the Atlanta Crackers of the Sunbelt League to try and

refine his command even further.

“That is one thing that I’ve always struggled with is consistently throwing strikes,” he said.

He came into the 2017 fall camp ready to show off his new command and take on an

even bigger role in the bullpen. While he had a great fall camp, ranked among the top eight

pitchers on the team and one of the top relief pitchers on the team, he took the mound in the

spring of 2018 reverting back to his freshman year self.

 “I got caught up too much in trying to throw hard that I lost my touch and command. My

mechanics were all out of whack. And I couldn’t figure it out,” he said.

LoCurto finished the year with a 9.00 ERA, meaning that if he pitched nine innings every

game, he would give up an average of nine runs. He made seven appearances on the year and

was charged with three losses. He did, however, manage one strikeout per appearance. LoCurto

took the summer off from pitching in order to build his strength and re-tool his throwing motion,

while also working as an assistant coach for Nelson Baseball School, his old high school travel

baseball team based in Kennesaw, Georgia.

It was after that summer that LoCurto adopted a new mentality. He knew that the 2019

season would possibly be his final season ever playing baseball, so he did not want to leave

college any regrets. He became a workhorse in the weight room, working out almost every day.

He got out on the field and threw almost every day. He had one of the best fall camps of anyone

on the team, and he earned himself the role as the top right-handed relief pitcher on the team.

“I don’t care who steps in that box. My mentality is that I’m the one in control because I

have the ball. And that guy with the bat is not going to touch the ball I’m holding,” he said of his

When LoCurto took the mound for the first time in 2019, everyone could see that there

was a new pitcher on the mound. And his changes showed in the results of his outings, too.

LoCurto didn’t give up an earned run until he started a game against UNC-Pembroke on March

23, his 16th appearance of the year. Since then, he has struggled to regain the consistency he had

early in the year, but he knows he will find it again.

“My mentality hasn’t changed on the mound. My mentality is consistent. The results just

aren’t consistent right now,” he said.

 Despite his recent struggles, LoCurto has still been one of the best pitchers for the

Bobcats in 2019. He leads the team in appearances with 26, sixth in innings pitched with 24.1, is

second on the team with a 2.96 ERA and a team-best .173 opposing batting average against

among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched.

“I have had a lot of success this year, but it means nothing if we don’t succeed as a team.

My goal is to do everything I can to help the team get to the conference tournament, the regional,

and to the national championship,” LoCurto said.

As for what’s next for LoCurto, he will remain in Milledgeville for another year, working

towards a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science. He is also thinking about potentially trying to

join the GC baseball coaching staff for the 2020 season as a Graduate Assistant.

“I’ve gone back and coached before with my old travel team, and I loved it. I feel like I

have a ton of baseball knowledge to give to the next group of Bobcats that come here,” he said.

Harrison Veldsma – a player who has persevered through injury

The worst thing that a pitcher can go through is a significant arm injury. One of the worst

of these is Tommy John surgery, a procedure on the elbow that repairs the ulnar collateral

ligament after it has torn.

“It essentially replaces the UCL with a ligament from the wrist to strengthen that inner

side of the elbow,” said GC Baseball Athletic Trainer David Youngblood.

In the spring of 2016, after having a successful fall camp and poised to take a significant

role on the pitching staff, Harrison Veldsma underwent Tommy John surgery after completely

tearing his UCL.

 In the spring of 2017, Veldsma went under the knife again to clean up his elbow as he

was still dealing with significant pain, and the doctors discovered that one of the sutures that was

under the skin had not dissolved away and was pinching on some nerves.

It was not until February 2018 that Veldsma threw a pitch again while wearing the GC

uniform. Despite it being 1,045 days between collegiate appearances, two different schools he

attended, two surgeries he underwent, lots of pain he endured, he did find a lot of success

following that first appearance.

Veldsma, a native of Marietta, Georgia and a graduate of Walton High School, began his

collegiate pitching career as a Jaguar at Georgia Perimeter College, a two-year junior college

program. Playing for Head Coach Jeremy Brotherton, he made an appearance in 10 games,

making three starts at GPC.

“I had an offer from Troy University out of high school, but at the last minute, they took

it back, and luckily, GPC took me,” he said.

Veldsma pitched 12 innings as a Jaguar and struck out 10 batters. Following that success

at GA Perimeter, Veldsma accepted an offer to pitch of the Bobcats of Georgia College and

transferred to Milledgeville as a true sophomore in the fall of 2015.

Veldsma was one of the standout pitchers during fall practices, making batters look

foolish with an 88 m.p.h two-seam fastball, a sharp breaking ball, and a circle-changeup.

“Honestly, he has some of the best stuff I’ve ever seen,” said GC pitching coach Kane

Keith.

Veldsma was in the running for winning fall camp MVP under then-head coach Tom

Carty; then, after coming back to school after Christmas break, it happened.
 “When I tore my UCL, I felt completely lost. It took a huge mental and emotional toll on

me. I had no idea what to do,” he remembered.

After the regular season ended and he was told to go home for the summer, he did just

that and continued his rehab program. Because of the injury, Veldsma took a redshirt for the

season, maintaining his three years of eligibility to play college baseball.

When Veldsma arrived back in Milledgeville for the fall semester in August of 2016, he

felt like a new person.

“I wasn’t going to let my injury keep down my spirits. I was going to persevere through

it,” he recalled.

He worked hard in fall practice to get his arm back to full strength, doing his throwing

program and his rehab program. At the beginning of the spring semester, Veldsma was ready to

throw off of a baseball mound for the first time since the fall of 2015. Then, the injury bug bit

him again. He said he remembered feeling a lot of pressure in his elbow and a lot of pain. He

said he didn’t know what was going on. He decided to take a few days off from throwing to give

his arm some rest, but when he picked the ball back up again, the same thing happened. Pain.

Pressure. The athletic trainer took him back to the doctor that did his surgery so that he could get

an MRI on his elbow.

The MRI revealed that one of his internal sutures had not dissolved like the others and

was pushing against some nerves and muscles in his elbow. He remembered the doctor telling

him that they needed to get into elbow again and remove the suture. For the second time in as

many years, the knife was being taken to Veldsma’s elbow.

“That second surgery was almost worse than the first one because it was like, is my

elbow ever going to feel good again? Will I ever pitch again?” he said.
 Veldsma was right back where he was the year before: arm in a sling, stitches on his

elbow and living in a tough mental state.

The fall of 2017 started the same way that the previous fall had, with Veldsma rehabbing

his elbow and trying to get strength back to it. It was a slow process, as he had a couple minor

setbacks along the way.

“By the end of the fall, my elbow was feeling better than it had in two years,” he said.

After coming back to school after Christmas break, Veldsma was ready to throw off a

mound again. After a few times off a mound and facing batters, he was ready for game action for

the first time since 2015, when he was still at GPC.

His first outing as a GC Bobcat came on Feb. 16, 2018, when the Bobcats faced the

Hurricanes of Georgia Southwestern State. In bottom of the ninth inning of a 28-1 game that the

Bobcats were winning, Veldsma took the mound. It had been 1,045 days since his last collegiate

pitching appearance. Almost three full years. He faced four batters, walking one, and striking one

to end the game. After recording the final out, Veldsma let out a booming “Let’s go!” and took

off his glove and threw it toward the Bobcat dugout.

“So many emotions poured out of in that moment. It was so euphoric. I was just happy to

be on the mound again. I had been through so much,” he remembered

That game was only the beginning for Veldsma’s season. He went on to be a significant

part of the GC pitching staff. He started the year off in the bullpen in order for him to build

endurance in his arm. His first start as a Bobcat came on Feb. 27 in a midweek game against

Shorter University. He recorded his first career win against Albany State on March 13, where he

threw three innings in relief with two strikeouts. He recorded his first career save on April 17,

also against Albany State, when he threw the final three innings of the game, striking out four
batters, and only allowing one hit. His best outing of the year came on April 29, against

Columbus State, in a game that decided who won the series. Entering the game in the fifth inning

with the team down 6-4, Veldsma remembered his goal being to just keep his team in the game.

“I was just trying to keep the game from getting out of hand because that’s what can

happen in our conference. I wanted to keep it 6-4,” he said.

When Veldsma threw his last pitch, not only was the game over, the Cougars of

Columbus State did not score a run and the Bobcats won 10-6.

“Veldsma, you know what their coach just told me? He told me to never throw you

against them again because he knows they won’t be able to touch your fastball,” Coach Eller said

following the game.

Veldsma pitched well in his last outings, and he earned himself the opportunity to start

the third game of the conference tournament against UNC-Pembroke. He went out and threw

four solid innings, giving the Bobcats the opportunity to win the game 12-6 and advance to

championship game, where the team ended up dogpiling and winning the trophy. Veldsma also

started the team’s third game at the Southeast Regional Tournament, where he threw three

innings, gave up three runs, and struck out one.

“It was tough because I was the one who started the last game of our season and didn’t

perform well. I felt like I let that senior class down,” he said.

Veldsma finished the season with 12 appearances, three wins, one save, 29 strikeouts,

and a 4.13 ERA

Veldsma took the summer to build up his strength to increase his velocity, and he played

for the Atlanta Crackers in the Sunbelt League. He only made two appearances for the teamm,

however.
 “I went like three weeks between my appearances, and I wasn’t having any fun, so I

decided the best thing for me was to go home, get stronger, and build up my arm strength,” he

said.

Veldsma entered the 2018 fall camp ready to take on a larger role on the pitching staff.

When the season rolled around, he earned that larger role: the Saturday starting pitcher, the

number two starter. He started the team’s second game of the season against Paine College,

where he went nearly four innings, gave up just one run, and struck out four. However, when he

started against the University of Tampa the following weekend, something happened.

“I got absolutely shelled. It felt like I couldn’t get anybody out. And that feeling

continued in my following appearances,” he recalled.

In the Tampa game, Veldsma went five innings, gave up five runs, and only struck out

two, giving him his first collegiate loss. After another bad start, Veldsma lost his starting role

and was moved back to the bullpen.

“The worst part about being moved to the bullpen was that I couldn’t figure out what I

was doing to not get the outs I wanted to get. It was frustrating,” he said.

He has fared in the bullpen since the Feb. 16 move. He started a midweek game against

the University of Mount Olive on March 20, and while he didn’t pitch poorly, he was charged

with six earned runs. Since the Mount Olive start, he has been pitching out of the bullpen, and

when he is not pitching, he is a vocal leader in the dugout, one of the loudest guys on the team.

“I don’t take myself too seriously at times in there, and I don’t the guys that are playing

to get too tense or frustrated, so I just try and keep things loose,” he said about his dugout antics.

So far in 2019, Veldsma has made 14 appearances with four starts, struck out 22 batters

in 22.1 innings pitched, and recorded a save against Columbus State. One thing that he is
especially proud of this season is setting a personal record by throwing a pitch 92 m.p.h in that

save against Columbus State.

As for what’s next for Veldsma, he will be returning to the GC baseball team for the 2020

season for his sixth year of college baseball. He was granted this extra year via a medical

hardship waiver due to him missing two full seasons with the two elbow surgeries.

“When I hit 92 m.p.h, on the radar gun, I was like ‘This can’t be the end. There’s still

more for me to do.’ And luckily, I was given the opportunity to come back for another year,” he

said.

Veldsma will look to finish off the 2019 season strong and work to regain the touch that

he had during the 2018 season in order to be a key member of the 2020 “Green Machine.”

Currently, the team is sitting with a record of 25-19 overall and 15-13 in conference,

good for fifth place in the conference. The players know that they haven’t played their best

baseball yet. But they are optimistic that they’re close to playing their best. As of April 17 2019,

the team had six conference games and nine games overall left to play.

“That’s nine one-game seasons. We have to play one game at a time. We still have a

chance to do something special,” Green said.

But whatever happens, the team knows one thing for certain – they will never quit on

each other because they all have invested so much in each other and in the program.

“Our program doesn’t have the best gear or the best facilities or the most funding

compared to other teams we play. But we act like we do. And that’s something that helps the

team have continuous success,” LoCurto said.

 Since 2015, GC baseball has won championships and suffered defeating losses. And on

May 4, Green, Wommack, LoCurto, Veldsma, Chandler Amason, Logan Howard, and Bradley

Spinner will put on the white pinstripe uniforms at John Kurtz Field – their last time to cheer on

the guys who came into college with them as teammates but will be leaving Georgia College

with them as brothers.