Playing Ball in the Fall

Stone Bridge Honors Five Seniors Set to Play Collegiate Baseball

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Following a 20-4 season that included the school's first Liberty District regular season and tournament championships, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs gathered one final time on Monday in Ashburn to honor five seniors who will play collegiate baseball next season.

Before an audience of about 50 students, faculty, friends and family members, Coach Sam Plank praised five key players on his 2008 squad.

Pitchers Tyler Basso (West Virginia) and Tyler Weaver (West Virginia), outfielder Matt Irwin (Greensboro College), shortstop Mike Stancik (Longwood) and catcher Brian Wheaton (Texas Lutheran) all donned hats from their respective universities and posed for pictures with coaches and family in the school library.

Here are some thoughts from the players and their coach about the season as they look forward to the start of their college careers.

Coach Sam Plank

On sending five players to play collegiate baseball:

"Being a coach, you have such an opportunity to make an impact on a kid's life. One thing I treasure about coaching is the relationships I have with my players. They're like my extended family. You can see how tight knit this whole group is and that's what makes it so special.

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Stone Bridge Signing Ceremony

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Five graduating seniors from Stone Bridge will be going on to play collegiate baseball. They were honored at a signing ceremony at the Ashburn school on Monday evening. Pictured with their coaches are Tyler Basso, Matt Irwin, Mike Stancik, Brian Wheaton and Tyler Weaver. (Matt Brooks)

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Stone Bridge 's Tyler Weaver, Brian Wheaton, Mike Stancik, Coach Sam Plank, Matt Irwin and Tyler Basso gathered Monday evening for a signing ceremony to honor the five senior baseball players who will be going on to play college ball. (Matt Brooks)

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Students, friends and family gather at Stone Bridge High School on Monday to celebrate five Bulldogs baseball players who will play on the collegiate level next season. (Matt Brooks)

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Stone Bridge senior shortstop Mike Stancik is honored, along with four of his teammates, at a baseball signing ceremony at Stone Bridge High School on Monday, June 16. Stancik will play baseball at Longwood University next season. (Matt Brooks)

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Stone Bridge seniors Tyler Basso, Matt Irwin, Mike Stancik, Brian Wheaton and Tyler Weaver take part in an unofficial signing ceremony at Stone Bridge High School on Monday, June 16 while Coach Sam Plank looks on. All five Bulldogs will play collegiate baseball next season. (Matt Brooks)

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"I tell them when they come in as freshman, 'If you don't want to play college baseball, then you shouldn't be playing here. I want you to be able to live that dream.' Only two percent of high school athletes actually get the chance to play in college, so we're really lucky to have five, possibly six, being able to play next year."

On the 2008 season:

"Baseball is a finicky sport. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way or it just misses the gap. But they made a great run. I told them when they look back on it 10 years from now – not many people get to win any championships – but to win a tournament championship and a district championship and have a chance to move through the regionals, they'll look back on it and be very proud."

On the success of the Stone Bridge athletic programs:

"I've always said that Stone Bridge is a special place, from the day it opened. They hire great coaches and it's been building over several years. When people move in from out of state, a lot of them end up here. We're very fortunate to get a lot of students moving in and in a lot of the younger kids, you see them in the youth leagues and they want to play at Stone Bridge. That's how you build a high school program that's successful on all levels."

On Basso and Weaver going to West Virginia (Plank's alma mater):

"I can't imagine being able to drive up to Morgantown and see one of my players out there wearing the same uniform I wore. I try to give guys advice, but it's totally up to them and their family. The only bit of advice I try to give guys is, 'Wherever you choose to go, make sure that if baseball doesn't work out, that's where you want to be because you only get to go to college once. And if baseball doesn't work out, at least you're somewhere where you're happy and you can get a good education."

Brian Wheaton – Catcher – Texas Lutheran University

On the decision to play at Texas Lutheran:

"It's my home away from home. My dad went there – that's where he played. I have a relative like 10 minutes down the road. And the program has been very good for the past decade, so I know the coaching staff knows what they're doing and they know how to win down there."

On playing for the same school as his father:

"He started off at second and then moved to third and then short his senior year. He's excited that I'm playing there. He's a little bummed that I'm going so far away, but he's going to be down there plenty to come see me play."

Tyler Weaver – Pitcher – West Virginia University

On sending five players to the next level:

"It helps that we're all really tight friends and we're going on to something else together. It shows how hard we've worked in the past few months and now we're where we want to be."

On going to West Virginia with Basso:

"We can't room together, coach's rules. But I'll see him every day. It's going to be great. We're going to grow as friends and as teammates and play baseball together. It's going to be fun. That's not going to change, but things will be different."

Mike Stancik – Shortstop – Longwood University

On sending five players to the next level:

"It shows we've got a really good work ethic over the four years that we're here. Coach Plank's really good about developing players that come through here. His main goal is to get us to play at the next level and he's doing a really good job with that – especially this year with five signings. The talent that we've acquired in high school and the previous years really will pay dividends in college."

On why he chose Longwood:

"We're going to be a really competitive program in the next few years. We're going to be in a conference – hopefully by my sophomore year – and the thing I really like about it is I have a really good chance of playing right away. Just like here, I'd like to play four years. I don't really like sitting on the bench. In a few years, I think you'll be seeing a lot of Longwood and we've got a good shot of going to regionals even as early as next year."

On the 2008 season:

"Reflecting on the season, shows us how special of a year we really had. With all the talent we had coming back and the high expectations, just looking back on it, we had so much fun with all our teammates and on the weekends. It shows how much time and dedication we put into high school – it all showed up this past season."

On keeping in touch during college:

"We'll definitely all stay in touch. We're like brothers on the team, so I wouldn't be surprised if we're still all hanging out and playing Shregball when we get back on vacations."

Matt Irwin – Outfield – Greensboro College

On choosing Greensboro College:

"When I went to visit, it was everything I wanted. I like the city life and it was clean. My family is from Pittsburgh and I always liked living in a city. It's warm most of the year and I'm looking forward to being there.

"The coach is great, they play in a minor league stadium there, so it's going to be a lot of fun. They won me over."

On the 2008 season:

"I was happy to get Plank his first Liberty District championship. We didn't go as far as we thought we could have, but looking back on the year it was great. It was definitely my favorite season out of my four years here. I'm sad to be leaving Plank, but I'm happy I'll be able to play down in Greensboro."

Tyler Basso – Pitcher – West Virginia University

On Stone Bridge sending athletes to play at the collegiate level:

"It shows that we're dominant in all sports. (Athletic Director Dave Hembach) said we have 20-something kids going on to play in college next year. That says a lot about our teams here."

On playing at West Virginia:

"I'm looking forward to seeing how different it is from this program. I know it's going to be a lot tougher and I'll have to work a lot harder. I'm very excited to see how it works out."

On playing with Weaver:

"Instead of knowing two people, since we can't room together, we'll know four right off the bat. We'll be around each other all the time and it'll be fun."

Tagged: Ashburn, baseball, Stone Bridge High School

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