“Take One for the Team”
“Take one for the team.” In baseball, this term is literal, meaning to take a “hit by a pitch” as a batter in order to be awarded first base. In the game of life, this term is figurative, meaning to sacrifice for the greater good of the group or organization. During my first fall baseball season at the University of Minnesota, I had the second to worst batting average on the team. I had just four hits in 34 at-bats (a meager .118 batting average). I realized that I was going to have to think (and compete) “outside of the box” in order to contribute to the success of the team. I was never a power hitter. In fact, I had just one homerun during my four-year college baseball career. My role was to find a way, any way, to reach first base safely in order to help my team score as many runs as possible. In addition to spending time before and after practice working on my swing, I began thinking of other things that I could do in order to reach first base safely. This sparked a few ideas that I put into practice: learning how to bunt for a base hit, how to be more selective at the plate (swinging at pitches that gave me the greatest odds of solid contact), how to have a “better eye at the plate” in order to see more pitches therefore increasing my chances of earning a “base on balls” or “walk,” and, lastly, how to train myself to take a “hit by a pitch” in order to be awarded first base.
Like the vast majority of people that play baseball or softball, my instincts told me to move away from a pitched ball that was traveling at a high velocity and set to make contact, not with the barrel of my bat, but with a part of my body. However, if it meant that I would be awarded first base, which would give my team an opportunity to score more runs, I was willing to make the sacrifice. By the time my baseball career ended at the U of MN, I was tied for first all-time for hit by pitches in a season (14) as well as for hit by pitches in a career (36).
I have been a part of several “teams” since leaving the University of Minnesota, which include my family, the church, different school systems, and a variety of interscholastic teams that I have coached. While “taking one for the team” no longer involves physical pain, it still requires the mindset and willingness to put what is best for the team in front of what is best, most pleasant, and most comfortable for me.
Luke MacLean
Annandale Middle School and High School Activities Director
Like the vast majority of people that play baseball or softball, my instincts told me to move away from a pitched ball that was traveling at a high velocity and set to make contact, not with the barrel of my bat, but with a part of my body. However, if it meant that I would be awarded first base, which would give my team an opportunity to score more runs, I was willing to make the sacrifice. By the time my baseball career ended at the U of MN, I was tied for first all-time for hit by pitches in a season (14) as well as for hit by pitches in a career (36).
I have been a part of several “teams” since leaving the University of Minnesota, which include my family, the church, different school systems, and a variety of interscholastic teams that I have coached. While “taking one for the team” no longer involves physical pain, it still requires the mindset and willingness to put what is best for the team in front of what is best, most pleasant, and most comfortable for me.
Luke MacLean
Annandale Middle School and High School Activities Director