Another Year Of Brotherhood And Baseball

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Our family members can have an impact on us whether or not they are blood related. There is the sisterhood of sorority sisters and the brothers in a fraternity but one brotherhood most people don't talk about is the baseball brotherhood.

For Ball State senior infielder Noah Powell, brotherhood makes all the difference in baseball. "I love the brotherhood of baseball and just being with the boys and being able to hang out and go to the park. My teammates are brothers," Powell said.

In his junior season, Powell played in 49 games, starting in 48 games at shortstop. He led the team in assists with 97 and also had a hand in 16 double plays. He hit 11 extra-base hits with 16 RBIs and recorded three hits and three RBIs in the Cardinals' win over Northern Illinois in the MAC Tournament. He earned second team All-MAC as a sophomore in 2018 and was named MAC Championship All-Tournament Team last May.

Ready for his senior season, Powell played well in the fall. He hit .333 with a .412 on-base percentage.

Powell first fell in love with the game while attending his brother's games. "I have two older brothers and my oldest brother played baseball and I would just sit on a blanket and stare at the game 24/7. I would not break my concentration toward the game," Powell said.

He even got his first start when he was three years old at his brother's T-ball game. "The first actual game I played in I was three and I was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt. My older brother's team needed a sub and I was there and got to jump in," Powell said.

After his debut at three years old, his dad continued to push him and transform him into the player he is. "My dad was always at my games. He is always pushing me. We used to have a barn and there was a pitching mound. My dad had so many videos and he would make me and my brothers sit down and read baseball articles when we were younger. We were constantly grinding and pushing," Powell said.

Although Powell loved the game, he went through some doubts on why he continued to play baseball in his freshman year of college. Powell started his career at Division II St. Joseph's College in Indiana, but during that season the school announced it was closing its doors. "My freshman year was really tough for me and I did not do very well. When the school was closing it was the perfect out to just throw it away. When Ball State came it was really hard for me to commit," Powell said.

Powell might have lost a little bit of his fire toward baseball, but the baseball brotherhood wasn't going to let him give up that easily. "Coach Glant, who was the pitching coach at Ball State at the time, called me almost every week, giving me an earful of why I shouldn't quit and asking what was the point in quitting because I was going to regret it. He left me a voicemail and it really hit me so I decided I definitely didn't want to quit," Powell said.

There was the recruiting pitch from Ball State, but as always, that bond to baseball he learned in his family's barn.

"I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for my dad, brothers or coaches I've had. I have been blessed with a lot of amazing coaches and amazing people in life that have been able to support me in baseball," Powell said.

One thing Powell will never forget or lose, even after his playing days are over, is the brotherhood. "I have made so many new friends and so many people I can rely on regardless of what's going on in my life. It's more than just a competitive baseball game. I can call anybody on this team and I know they'll have my back," Powell said.

This season opening-weekend at Georgia Southern is the start of another journey with Powell and the band of Cardinal brothers, who are aiming for another run to the top of the conference.

Players Mentioned

Noah Powell

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