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Baseball
Q&A - Jonathan White
Official
Preseason Coverage of Vanderbilt Baseball on VUcommodores.com
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Feb. 15, 2008
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Why did you return
for another season instead of going pro? "The number one factor was that I wanted to
finish up my degree. I have already been here (at Vanderbilt) for
three years. It wasn't life changing to take the money (offered by the
Milwaukee Brewers) like it was for David
Price. I would've missed my comrades. I would've missed my last
year, having fun, being a college student, and everything that
surrounds that experience."
To
date, what has been your most memorable experience at Vanderbilt? "It
would have to be last year, coming to the field every day, knowing
that we were playing for something special. Every time we had a big
game, something was brewing. The crowd and the community were behind
us."
What
did you do individually that stood out? "I was
given my first chance to play. I would come in late in the games to
run bases or pinch hit. Not having played the whole game, I would get
up in the ninth inning and look up in the stands and people would be
screaming. It was crazy, and I thought, `this is a great
moment.'"
Talk
about some of the role models on this year's team. "I
definitely see people on our team that have a good routine. I love
watching Flash (Ryan
Flaherty) play. I love him in the clutch. He always looks like
he's having fun out there. I like watching Pedro (Alvarez) play. Every
day he comes to the field, he does something special no matter what.
Dom (Dominic de
la Osa) is a hard-nosed guy. We have a lot of fighters on our
team. It's contagious."
Who
are your best friends on the team? "Last year, it
was David Price.
Brad French and
all the seniors that I've played with for four years, we're all pretty
close. It's good spending time with those guys."
Describe
playing summer ball in Newport, R.I. "Newport was
a great place. It reminded me a lot of Vanderbilt. The people and the
community were behind us. The town supported us. We got 3,000 people
every game. When we came into town, we were accepted like we had been
there our entire lives. That's probably the best place I've ever
played."
What
do you anticipate your role will be this year? "I
see my role bigger than last year. I want to be the guy in the first
inning, the second inning (etc.) that makes a difference. However they
use me, I'll accept it. Anything I can do to make the team better,
I'll do it."
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