Two seniors leave a lasting legacy for Emerson baseball
BOSTON (BVM) 鈥� Emerson baseball has struggled for a long time with their best season coming in 2010 with a 15-20 record. Beyond that season, the Emerson Lions haven鈥檛 earned double digit wins since 2013. Despite a stretch of prolonged losing, two seniors on the 2021 team might have been the answer the program has been looking for years.
Andre Padovani and Ryan McCahan don鈥檛 jump off the stat sheet with career .228 and .242 batting averages, respectively. During their time at Emerson, the pair experienced a 18-68 record. Despite the drastic lack of success, the losing never stopped them from trying to get better and improve.
鈥淚 think the first step is having everyone working hard, showing up, and being together,鈥� McCahan said. 鈥淲e wanted to lead by example by showing up every day and working as hard as possible to get on par with these really good college programs.鈥�
听The programs McCahan alludes to are teams like Wheaton College, Babson College, and MIT, who share the same division as Emerson. Since the Emerson Lions joined the New England Women鈥檚 and Men鈥檚 Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) in 2014 they have a 35-169 record. In that same time, Wheaton, Babson, and MIT have shared a spot in the top four records in the division every year except two.
A new attitude can only take a team so far, but it鈥檚 an important first step for an Emerson team that鈥檚 seen so little success. This culture shift didn鈥檛 happen overnight. Over the course of four years at Emerson, McCahan and Padovani instilled a new sense of hard work and dedication while becoming friends through it all.
While Padovani鈥檚 start to his Emerson career was delayed due to him deferring his fall semester, he remained around the team. During his visits to Emerson, Padovani would sleep in McCahan鈥檚 room. After that season, they would live together sophomore and senior year, deepening an already unique bond between the two.
鈥淚 respected Ryan right away because I really like the way he treats other people,鈥� Padovani said. 鈥淢e and Ryan were always able to keep that connection throughout the four years, so me and him have such a special bond. It’s like, I love that kid.鈥�
The two earned respect from all their teammates through their hard work, dedication, and mutual respect for each other and baseball. Most importantly, they earned respect from their coach, Nicholas Vennochi. Vennochi didn鈥檛 downplay how important the loss of the two seniors would be heading into 2022.
鈥淎ndre Padovani and Ryan McCann from a culture standpoint, both guys are good players but they kind of were our culture,” Vennochi said. 鈥淲e wouldn’t be where we’re at without them. From that stuff I talked about earlier about family, caring about each other, and being positive that’s what those guys are, so none of this really happens without Padovani and McCann. Big losses but I think they will be lost, but their legacy is lasting because of what they’ve set up鈥�
Emerson has a long road towards the top of the NEWMAC, but renewed chemistry through the willpower and friendship of their only two seniors could be just what they need to turn the program around. Emerson baseball won鈥檛 be the same without Padovani and McCahan, but they are forever grateful for their impact on the team.
