Baseball holds ring ceremony at Hart Park

On Feb. 1, Chapman baseball held a ring ceremony prior to their annual alumni game to commemorate the team’s 2019 Division III championship. Photo courtesy of Graham Byrne

Nothing says “championship” like the song “Can’t Stop” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. On Feb. 1, upbeat tunes blasted from the speaker system, baseball players danced, sang along and laughed with one another. Current and former Panther baseball players gathered for the annual alumni baseball game – and for a ring ceremony to commemorate the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III title they captured the prior season.

“It’s a dream come true,” head coach Scott Laverty said.

As the sun shined on the freshly groomed grass and dirt, over 40 associated with Chapman baseball received diamond-studded red and silver rings, squarely displaying Chapman’s logo in the center and the words “National Champions.” Every single one was met by thunderous cheering and applause by the over 100 fans in attendance.

Tyler Peck, a current pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league organization and 2019 Chapman graduate, bounced around, catching up with old teammates. Without a doubt, he was happy to be back. “It’s good to relive those moments,” Peck said. “I hope to do it for a long time.”

There was a large roster shift during the off-season, with six seniors departing from the prior season’s team and 11 new freshmen joining. However, Laverty thought the tight-knit energy of 2019’s team would carry over into next season.

“It’s a great vibe,” Laverty said. “It’s a championship vibe again.”

Returning players are also excited about the new energy freshmen bring to the team. Drew Littwin, sophomore infielder, laughed when asked about the expectation of taking home more championships in the future, saying “that’s the goal.”

“We’ll be good in the years to come,” Littwin said. “This is a really good class and we’ve got a lot of potential.”

When asked about how the team planned to replace the graduating players, especially seniors in the starting rotation, Laverty described the process as a transition, not a replacement.

“We’ve got guys who threw important innings: Nick Garcia, Cody Turner. Riley Glenn already started games for us — those are going to be some of our starters, so it’s just about them transitioning from reliever to starter,” Laverty said.

Laverty described this ring ceremony as an ending to the 2019 iteration of the Panthers.

“I want to close the chapter and now move on to the next season,” Laverty said. “We’re chomping at the bit to go.”

After the rings were presented, Steven Olveda, Chapman’s sports information director, leaned into the microphone.

“Thanks for coming to our ring ceremony,” Olveda said. “Hope to see you next year for the same thing.”