Jake Zadra: Your Education Is What You Make It

This article appeared originally on Edgewood.edu and is reproduced for our Eagle fans here. Enjoy!

Jake Zadra ‘13 has heard it a few times already. When he tells people that he actually majored in History at Edgewood College “I usually get some funny looks. On the surface, I might think that’s a weird combination.”

The ‘weird combination’ for Jake is a Bachelor of Science degree in History, with minors in Biology and Chemistry. By all accounts it has worked well. Mr. Zadra graduated Summa Cum Laude in May 2013, and this fall learned he’ll begin his next chapter in August 2014 at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he’ll study to become a doctor.

“Studying History has taught me a lot, and it’s going to make me a better doctor. It really honed my critical thinking skills, for one. And when you study History, you study people. And in medicine, you work with people – so in that way, I’m going to be a better doctor for it.”

That’s a great challenge for anyone, but his record shows he’s ready: he’s a volunteer with the Ski Patrol at Devil’s Head Ski Resort; spent more than 300 hours performing research in the UW-Madison Orthopedic/Biomechanics lab as an intern; captained the Eagles baseball team; was named a Capital One Academic All-American student-athlete; and served as vice-president of the History Club.

Today, he works in the ER at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, and “runs” with the Blooming Grove (Wis.) Fire Department as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician).

Some of his professors said Jake “took a true multidisciplinary, liberal arts approach to his education.”  He puts it this way: “Coming to Edgewood College your options are endless. Your education is what you make it. You can choose to study something you love here, and you’re going to get a fantastic education that will benefit you no matter what field you choose to go into.”

Photo: Associate Professor Jim Goll, Jake Zadra ’13, and Assistant Professor Brenda del Moral, Dominican Honors Convocation, 2013

Summer of the Eagles: Summer baseball leagues

Andrew Lauritzen

A number of Edgewood College baseball players are gaining experience and honing their skills in collegiate summer leagues.

Rising senior pitcher Trevor Koehn played the first half of the season with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League. Koehn made five appearances and got stronger nearly every time out of bull pen. He went 1-1, picking up his first win on June 30 when he threw three innings of shutout ball, which gave the Rafters the chance to rally from behind for an 8-6 victory over the La Crosse Loggers. Koehn had a 3.68 earned run average in 14.2 innings pitched, while striking out seven batters. The Northwoods League is generally considered one of the nation's top wood bat collegiate summer leagues.

Andrew Lauritzen picked up right where he left off at the end of his freshman season for the Eagles. Laurtizen, playing for the Olympia (Wash.) Athletics in the Puget Sound Collegiate League, leads the entire PSCL in batting average (.500) and is third in slugging percentage (.553) as of July 7. Laurtizen's team is currently fourth in the PSCL with a record of 7-11.

Ryan O'Dell, who will be a senior next season, is playing again for the Oswego (Ill.) Cats in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League. Last summer O'Dell and the Cats won the AABC Illinois State championship, the AABC North Central Regional Championship and advanced to the AABC Stan Musial World Series where they placed fourth. O'Dell is currently hitting .291 and is second on the team with 14 runs batted in. O'Dell's team has won 11 of their last 13 games and is in second place with a 13-8 record.

Other Eagles are playing in the legendary Home Talent Baseball League, an adult amateur circuit based in south central Wisconsin that began in 1929. Ben Jennings is playing for Black Earth, who currently leads the Northern Section, Jared Raupp is on the Monroe team and Peter Hefty is playing for Hollandale. Hefty ranks eighth in the Western Section with a .361 batting average.

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Podcast: 2013 Baseball preview

Edgewood College head baseball coach Al Brisack talked about his 2013 squad on the eve of their season opener.

The Eagles begin the year on Friday, March 1 at the Metrodome against St. John's University. The Eagles will also play Augsburg College on Saturday night. Edgewood College's home opener is March 29 at Stampfl Field against Maranatha Baptist. 

2013 Baseball Preview:

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WISC-TV3: Ostrowski & Camp Earth raise money for Huntington's Disease

Courtesy of WISC-TV3, a feature on Edgewood College baseball student-athlete Marc Ostrowski and his work for Camp Earth, an grass roots organization dedicated to raising awareness and money to fight Huntington's Disease.


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#Tweagles Talk: Ryan O'Dell

Here is the debut of a new feature #Tweagles Talk! We asked a student-athlete to tell us about their own personal Twitter brand and who they like to follow. Check back often to see if we feature your favorite #Tweagles student-athlete...

Ryan O'Dell (Baseball)- @RyanODell14

2,524 Tweets / 241 Following / 186 Followers

Q. What is your Twitter handle and how did you come up with it?

A: @RyanODell14, I made it simple with just my name and uniform number.

Q. How often do you check Twitter?
A: I check Twitter probably too much, usually every hour to see if there is anything interesting going on.

Q. What would you say is your average number of Tweets?
A: I tweet a few times a week over the summer, but when I'm in school at least 3 times a day.

Q. Which of your teammates has the best Tweets and why?
A: Tony Ales (@TAles35), because he is funny and very entertaining.

Q. The people I follow in baseball are…
A: The people I follow in baseball are guys like Bryce Harper (@BHarper3407), Mike Trout (@Trouty20), Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10), and guys from my favorite team the White Sox like Gordon Beckham (@GordonBeckham), Jake Peavy (@JakePeavy_44), and Adam Dunn (@AdamDunn_32). 

Q. Someone who you wouldn’t think I follow is…
A: Someone who you wouldn't think I follow is Selena Gomez (@selenagomez), but she is very attractive.

Q. The people whose tweets you can’t miss…
A: The people whose tweets I can't miss are my favorite athletes like Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA), Bryce Harper (@BHarper3407), Brandon Marshall (@BMarshall) and of course all the #Tweagles.  I also like checking out the comedy tweets.

Q. I wish _____ was on Twitter.
A: I wish my all-time favorite baseball player Paul Konerko was on Twitter.

Q. What Edgewood College coach or athlete do you wish was on Twitter?
A: I wish assistant baseball coach Richard Wachholz would join Twitter so he could spread real-life advice like he already does at our practices.

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Baseball Costume Game

The Edgewood College baseball team got in the Halloween spirit as they geared up for a costume game in October.

The Eagles were split up into two teams: superheros vs. villains. The superheros included Captain Underpants, Iron man, Superman, the Hulk, Flash, and many others while the Joker, bandits, and robbers led the villains.

It was a tight-knit game, but in the end the superheros came out on top, like they always do!

Check out some more photos from the costume game on our Facebook page!
Edgewood College Eagles Facebook

Pavlue, O'Dell advance in summer baseball

Eagle assistant baseball coach Dan Pavlue guided the Madison Impact to the 2012 Wisconsin American Legion State Title last weekend in Appleton. The Impact will now advance to the Great Lakes Regional which begins on Thursday in Midland, Michigan. Here's a story from Adam Mertz of the Wisconsin State Journal...

Baseball: Madison team wins state American Legion tourney for first time since 1967

Also in summer baseball action, Eagle student-athlete Ryan O'Dell's Oswego (Ill.) Cats team won the AABC North Central Region championship in Battle Creek, Michigan last weekend. O'Dell and the Cats will now play in the AABC Stan Musial World Series in Port St. Lucie, Florida beginning today. The link to the Stan Musial World Series is below....

2012 Stan Musial World Series

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2012 Baseball season preview

The Edgewood College baseball team missed out on the postseason last year and had their streak of 20-win seasons snapped. However, the 2012 Eagles have a new focus and are determined to return to the postseason. Head coach Al Brisack talks about his Eagles in this season preview podcast.

Baseball Preview:

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O'Dell, Cordova give back on Miracle Field

Edgewood College baseball player Ryan O'Dell is serving children with disabilities this summer by managing Miracle Field in Roselle, Ill. He and 20-30 volunteers, including Eagle women's soccer player Zenaida Cordova, meet every Monday night in the summer to help kids with disabilities learn the joys of baseball, teammwork and inclusion. Read Ryan's summary of Miracle Field below... 




O'Dell (in green shirt) cheers on a Miracle Field player

 "The program I have been in charge of is called Miracle Field. Throughout the early spring I was in charge of spreading the word about the program as well as finding 20-30 volunteers. The 20 volunteers include ex-baseball players from my high school, St. Charles East, as well as others who found out about the program and just wanted to help. Zenaida Cordova who plays on the Edgewood College Women's soccer team also helps volunteer.

For eight Monday nights this summer we meet at Miracle Field in Roselle, Ill. and for two hours help teach/play baseball with children who have disabilities. Their ages are from 5-13 and their disabilities range from down syndrome to mentally challenged. Every player is paired with a "buddy" or volunteer and they stay together through out the eight weeks. When we get to the field, we meet for 10 minutes with our buddy and ask them how their week was, etc. Then we'll gather on the field and stretch. Next we try and work on basic fundamentals that can improve their overall flexibility and hand-eye coordination. These include fielding a soft ball that is rolled to them, throwing the ball back to a buddy, or running the bases. After that, it is time to play ball.

Cordova instructs her Miracle Field buddy

The players are separated into two teams and while one team is hitting the other are at their positions in the field. The team who is hitting walks one-by-one up to the plate and hits a soft ball off a tee and run to first base while the other team fields it. Base runners may only move up a base at a time and there are no outs. Often times before the ball is hit we will call out to the fielders what base the ball should be thrown to, which also helps with their concentration. The last batter to hit runs all the way around the bases for "home run". Then the teams flip from field to hitting. The games usually last 3 full innings.

Miracle Field itself is something special. Donated by the Chicago White Sox, it is a scaled down replica of their stadium. Complete with lights, a soft rubber coating turf, and dugouts, not only does it offer the players a special night game but is also safe for everyone and is wheelchair proof.

Currently, Miracle Field has been a great thing with a great turnout as well as the volunteers who have worked with the kids. My next job will be to meet with several sponsors/marketers in hopes of spreading the word and taking the program to more places for next summer. On July 25th there will be an open house, anyone who is interested can come stop by and see the program in action."

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O'Dell crushes walk-off homer in Legion victory

Edgewood College baseball player Ryan O'Dell crushed a two-out, two-run homer to lift his St. Charles (Ill.) Post 342 team to clinch the District 11 regular season championship. O'Dell's blast to right field gave St. Charles a 5-4 victory over Elgin Post 57. Read the full story below...

O'Dell’s walk-off homer lifts St. Charles to District 11 title (courtesy of Gene Chamberlain of the Courier-News)

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Future Eagle fires no-hitter in Legion game

Casey Geissburger, a recent graduate of Zion-Benton High School fired his first career no-hitter in a 7-0 win for the Zion Barons in an American Legion game. Geissburger and teammate Zac Creekmore, will both be attending Edgewood College in the fall and playing for the Eagles' baseball team.

Legion Baseball: Fill-in Geissburger says ‘yes,’ then hurls no-no (Courtesy of Lake County News-Sun)

Photo: Joel Lerner, Sun-Times Media

Eagles and Wildcats present donation to Breast Cancer Recovery

Edgewood College head baseball coach Al Brisack and Verona Area High School head baseball coach presented the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation with their proceeds from their "Strike Out Cancer" game. The Eagles and Wildcats sold T-shirts and collected donations at home games this season to raise money to support those affected by breast cancer.

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Krueger signs with Riverhawks

Eagle fans won't have to travel down under to see former Edgewood College pitcher Matt Krueger this summer. Krueger has signed a contract to play for the Rockford Riverhawks, an independent professional baseball team in the Frontier League.

Krueger played last season with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League and their farm team the Wanneroo Giants of the Western Australia State Baseball League. Krueger helped the Giants to the league title, pitching to victory in the championship series.

The Riverhawks open the season with a three-game series at home against the Traverse City Beach Bums, beginning on Friday night. The Riverhawks play at Road Ranger Stadium in Loves Park, Ill., just 65 miles south of Madison.

Riverhawks sign catcher, pitcher (courtesy of RockfordRiverhawks.com)

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"Nova" nominated for Madison Area Music Award

Edgewood College baseball player James Bertakis has been nominated for a MAMA or Madison Area Music Award. Bertakis, under his stage name "Nova," has released an album with the help of teammate Jake Zadra. Nova is nominated for Hip-Hop Album of the Year with three other local artists.

Only MAMA members can vote for the awards, but anyone may sign up to be a member and cast their vote until May 15. Membership is a $5 minimum donation to their charitable fund.

The Eighth Annual MAMAs will be in the Capitol Theater at the Overture Center in Madison on Saturday, June 4. Tickets are $15 and are available through the Overture Center website.

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The Daily Deuce #2: Eagles Fly South

Edgewood College pitchers Tony Ales and Glenn Nowell will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Eagles 2011 baseball season.

Edgewood College’s Eagles travelled by bus deep into the moist jungle of vegetation, fried chicken, and barbecue that is the southeastern United States. With the current weather in Madison being cold and rainy and meals returning to ramen and Spaghetti-O’s, the succulent pork of Memphis and the tropical flavor of the hot Florida sun are only memory. Reminiscing being our only option, we hope to provide a full view of what it was like to be in flight with the Eagles.

At 10 a.m. in the middle of the week (missed class – Thanks Coach!), we tied our boots, packed our lunches, and hopped on the bus for Memphis, Tenn. where we faced Christian Brothers University. This Division II team lived up to their reputation as a worthy adversary. We fell 6-4, but showed a lot of potential with some solid hitting and pitching. Everyone was in agreement that we had a lot of victories coming our way.

After suffering defeat, our hosts, the Christian Brothers, were gracious enough to serve some fantastic southern style barbeque before we took off. They may have won, but their hospitality and that Memphis chopped pork was a nice cap to our brief stop in Tennessee.

We rested shortly in Birmingham, Ala. for a quick practice and shower then continued our journey down to Florida. The bus ride was full of excitement. With the movies on full blast and players at the back of the bus’ futile efforts to turn it down, there was plenty of entertainment to help endure endless hours of sitting and eating. We could have fallen to the dreaded “bus legs” but as Eagles, we didn’t need legs. All we needed were wings, to fly above the adversity and conquer the enemy.

We proceeded to beat our next 5 opponents: 2 games vs. Ripon College, 2 games vs. Greenville College, and a blowout vs. St. Norbert College.

We were lucky enough to receive a day off in between playing Greenville and St. Norbert, where many people (including Tony Ales) decided to catch up on some much needed z’s and go to bed early. Others travelled to various beaches and some went to Disney. Dr. Goll, our team Chemist, did both, seeing the Wide World of Disney from the seats at a girls' lacrosse match while napping (pictured). It was a nice off-day, but it was back to business, with games for the rest of the week. The day after St. Norbert College, we were in for a very competitive doubleheader vs St. Olaf College, a foe coming from Minnesota.

*side note: Congrats to baby Eagle Ryan (Bucky) O’Dell on his first collegiate home run and his 5-for-6 game vs Greenville College.

The first game was a classic pitcher’s duel between our very own Blake O’Brien, and their ace Ben Hughes. With scouts in the stands, O.B. threw fantastically, allowing one unearned run through the first seven innings of play. Seeing that this was only a seven inning game, the Eagles had to attack before it was too late. Scott Ortega ripped a hit into left field, putting him on second base. Then our papa eagle, Andrew King, came up to the plate and hit a piece into right field, driving in Scott to tie the game. Unfortunately, St. Olaf would strike again, and we lost a heart breaker in extras 2-1. The next game we did not come ready to play, and lost 5-2.

We had one last game to determine if we would depart for home on a high note, or a low note. Bowdoin College from Maine was standing in the way of the high note we wished to hit. We hung in there for a while, but eventually let the difficulty of the situation get to us, falling 6-2 in the final game of our Southern trip.

Even though we would have liked to have won all the games, there were many small victories in the process of learning who we are as a team. We learned it will take every individual to succeed as a team. No one Eagle shall fly above the flock. The trip south served as a great opportunity to find the areas in which our team needs to improve, and this week’s practice will be about fine tuning and getting back to working hard.

The 24-hour bus trip back to Madison was no cake walk, but the Annual Eagle Karaoke Competition was just that for Joe Gura. His golden voice and witty charm wooed the judges, and his rendition of “A Whole New World” surely would have captured Aladdin’s heart if Jasmine had not had such a small waist.

This weekend, the Eagles have their home opener at Stampfl Field. Saturday brings a double header against Concordia College (Moorhead) from Minnesota. They’re an opponent that we faced twice last year, in a more weather friendly environment (the Metrodome). Don’t worry. Unlike the Metrodome, the roof at the Chuck won’t cave in. (EDITOR: Saturday's games against Concordia have been cancelled) The following day, we face off against Macalester College.

Hopefully we’ll see you all at the Chuck this weekend! (weather permitting)

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Twins rookies defeat Eagles 6-3

The Edgewood College baseball team lost to a team of rookies from the Minnesota Twins organization 6-3 today in Fort Myers, Florida. Scott Ortega and Andrew King each had a double, while the Eagles used 11 pitchers by design.

"It was a good experience and I think it helped both clubs get better," said head coach Al Brisack. "I think we're a better team for it."

Edgewood College returns to collegiate action tomorrow when the play St. Norbert College at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) in Auburndale, Florida.

(Pictured: Kyle Smith)

Highlights from the Eagles exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins rookies:

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The Daily Deuce #1: The season begins

Edgewood College pitchers Tony Ales and Glenn Nowell will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Eagles 2011 baseball season.

Another season; another blog: brought to you by us, and we are Tony Ales (upper left) and Glenn Nowell (lower right), two pitchers on the Edgewood College Eagle baseball team that you’re probably intending to read about right now.

So, sit down and enjoy your Daily Deuce.

Before we unload, we’d like to pay tribute to last year’s blog writer, Blake Hunt, the vivacious personality that was the Sidearm Scoop. Although one of us (Glenn) is a side arm pitcher, we hope to continue the informative tradition of his posts while branching off to shed light on aspects of Eagle Baseball life that have remained in the shadows. Thank you Blake for your service to our team and the general public. May your flame always light our torch, paving the way to success.

The team has a much different look than last year. After losing some key seniors, Edgewood is seemingly in a rebuilding year; however, the baby Eagles Coach Brisack recruited to join our flock have shown us that a baby Eagle can hunt for its own and help the flock feast mightily. With 13 Freshmen and three transfers, the Eagles are proving to be a synthesis of old and new: where old social mores dictating the amount of affection a player with seniority ought to give to a younger player stood between a team and its success has now been fully replaced with unity and synergy.

Not only has the barrier of seniority been overcome, but since the beginning of Fall, we have made great improvements as a team. Thanks to Hitter’s Sportsplex, we are able to practice indoors all winter and prepare for the season ahead. The team from Day 1’s practice is no more. A team that once was lost on what to do with runners on 1st and 3rd now could do the variety of bunt defenses blindfolded. We have fine tuned our skills, whittling every facet of our game, finally peaking just in time for our spring trip down to Florida.

We don’t just speak for the two of us when we say that we are excited to go south. The team is more than ready to take our talents to the field, and actually play against an opponent. Not to mention playing outside in warm weather! We leave Wednesday morning with our destination being Tennessee where we begin our trip playing against Christian Brothers University. We are eager for the completion that this Division II school will have to offer. (Watch Live Stats here)

We have some highlight games on our schedule this year. First off, playing larger schools will be a great challenge for us. Christian Brothers will be our first game against a bigger school. Soon after we return from our southern trip, we also play against University of Illinois-Chicago. They are a Division I school that earned a pre-season regional rank. The Eagles can’t wait to prove their skills against these two schools in particular. We also get an opportunity to play UW-Stevens Point again, who last year played two very competitive games against us, and received a bid to the NCAA tournament.

This season is a special one. We have an opportunity to defend our conference championship, which is a task that we are determined to complete. Being a champion once is great, but to prove that you are a real champion, you have to defend your title. Our conference season is just around the corner, and The Eagles are a team that everyone in the NAC wants to beat.

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Podcast: 2011 Baseball season preview with Al Brisack

Head baseball coach Al Brisack discusses the upcoimg 2011 Edgewood College baseball season. Last year, the Eagles won their first Northern Athletics Conference championship and finished with a 29-15 record. Edgewood College owns three conference titles in their history.



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Nova concert raises money for Breast Cancer Recovery

Edgewood College baseball players James Bertakis and Jake Zadra spearheaded a hip-hop benefit concert for the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation. Bertakis, under his stage name Nova, performed with local artists IAmEnglish and Nick Venturella (himself a former Eagle baseball player). Zadra creates the music and handled all the concert publicity, under his record label Prinz Records. All proceeds from the event were presented to Deb Ray and Renee Schlosser of the Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation on February 10, 2011.

Photo Gallery

Video clips of set-up, sound check and performance of Nova on January 30, 2011

Nova in concert: Sunday, January 30

Two Edgewood College baseball players Jake Zadra and James Bertakis are showing how well-rounded a Division III student-athlete can be.

James’s hobby is remixing hip-hop and techno music and adding his own lyrics to it. Jake has experience in the music production business. Jake started to create his own beats and James provided the lyrics and vocals under the stage name Nova. Using Jake’s knowledge of the music industry and marketing skill under his own label Prinz Records, he has been able to get publicity for Nova on the internet. Their single “After Midnight” has reached #5 on ReverbNation.com’s local Madison pop chart.

Their next endeavor is their first public performance which will be held in Edgewood College’s Todd Wehr Edgedome on Sunday, January 30 at 8:00 p.m. The concert is free, but they are requesting a donation to raise money for the Breast Cancer Recovery foundation in support of breast cancer research. Edgewood College alum Nick Venturella and local hip-hop artist IAmEnglish will open for Nova. The Edgewood College Campus Activities Board (CAB), Vital Signs of Verona and Dental Health Associates of Madison are sponsors of the event.

Nova Concert on Facebook

Prinz Records on Facebook

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