Past Meets Present at Alumni Day

Leesburg, Fla. – The Hawks Nest at Lake-Sumter State College was alive and full of activity last Saturday with the annual Alumni Day. The unofficial kickoff for spring sports.

Each year baseball and softball alumni ascend on the Leesburg campus the week before both sports get their seasons going. It allows for one last outside competition to gear up for meaningful games. More importantly, it gives former players who have given so much to this program a chance to socialize with the current Lakehawks.

Stories are swapped and lessons learned after getting past down from the previous generation of LSSC athletes. "I think the opportunity for our girls to hear from those who have done it before, in the same uniform, is extremely important to our program," said Head Softball Coach, Jay Miller.

More than 20 alumni turned out to play in the baseball game at noon. "Alumni Day is a great opportunity to honor those that have played here and set a solid foundation for our current players," Head Baseball Coach, Rich Billings said. "It's always great to see former players and the success that they are having in life after LSSC. They often speak to our players about their experiences here and it's rewarding to know that an impact was made through some of the life lessons that we as coaches spend countless hours trying to instill in them. "

Athletic Director, Mike Matulia, has looked forward to this day every year for almost two decades. "It is a great time to honor our alumni and have the opportunity to share old memories with our former players," said Matulia. "It is also an opportunity for our current players to hear about 'how things used to be' from our Alumni. We hope to continue this tradition and look forward to seeing more alumni attend the event in the future."