Morehead State University - Raconteur Yearbook (Morehead, KY)

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A second baseman wanting to be Third Athlete, Presidential scholar, Father . . . these words all describe Kyle Crager, a Morehead j unior with a double maj or in mathematics and journalism. Crager did not see as much baseball action as usual this year in his position as second baseman for the Eagle hardball squad. Injuries kept him OH the field for a large part of the season. II had a hard season because I sprained my knee, which put me out for two and half weeks, he said. uI missed five more games when I tore my right tricep. Iim just happy I got to finish out the season with the team. The team had a successful season, in Cragefs opinion, although they did not do quite as well as they could have. II consider the season successful, although we didn,t per- form quite as well as I would have liked? he remarked. iiWe got Off to a slow start; we were 1-8 at one time. It was a hard battle to come up with a good record, but we did. Crager also commented about the teams the Eagles played. We had a tough schedule, but it makes me proud that we won games against some bigger schools? he said. Crager has been playing baseball for many years. iiIt is hard to face the fact that Ive only got one more year to play baseball, and then I will never play competitively again? Crager said. Crager does not see himself playing professional ball after he leaves Morehead, partly because of his small size. iTm only a 5'8 , and most scouts look for bigger players, although Fm not using that as an excuse, he said. iTve made the most of the talents I was given; I just wasn,t given every- thing it takes to be a professional player Still, I am very fortunate to have my gift Not everyone has their way paid through college for doing what they love to do. Because of the baseball scholarship and the Presidential academic scholarship Crager has, he does not have to pay any tuition or fees to attend the University. The scholar and ath- lete maintains a 3.88 grade point average, while maintaining a heavy course load. Crager feels that baseball and academics go hand-in-hand, because both require hard work and fortitude to excel. uAll the things I am involved in make my work harder, but you,ve got to pay a price to do well in any aspect of life, said Crager. iiAthletics and academics complement each other in this respect? Crager has been married for about a year to the former Kim Calvert. The two have an infant son, Ky Andrew. II married my high school sweetheart when Kim and I tied the knot. We started dating when Iwas a high school freshman and she was a sophomore? Crager enjoys being a father, and considers raising his son to be a learning experience. iiThrough Ky I have learned so much about everything. He has really change my life for the better, in a way that is very difficult to explainf, he said. iiHaving a child is thrilling, and a little scary. He is a new little person with his own personality. Watching Ky grow and knowing that he will one day look to me for guidance, is abig responsibility. I just hope that I can be as good as a father as my dad is. Crageris parents give him a lot of support in baseball and all the other facets of life, Crager said. The two rarely miss a game. uMom has kept a scorebook of my games since my little league days. It is really nice to be able to look back at all my games? said Crager. II think she does it mainly to keep from getting nervous? Crager would like to be equally as supportive of his own child, and would like to instill values in him at an early age. uI would like for Ky,s motto to be the same one that was mentioned in uBrian,s Song, which was that 1 am thirdf To live as you should, I think it is important to put God first, family, friends, and enemies second, and yourself last. I want my son not only to be able to say this, but to live it daily. His belief in God plays an important part in Crageris life. Last summer he spent the majority of his time traveling with Athletes in Action, a Christian Missionary team which travels around the country playing baseball and sharing their reli- gious convictions. uThe team was semi-pro,, and many of the players have been drafted or will be soon, said Crager. iiIt was an excellent opportunity to play with top-notch players and learn about so many different things. Crager still keeps in touch with many of his Athletes in Action, although they are from all parts of the country. He said he found the friendships he developed to be the most valuable part of playing with the team. Crager does not yet have any definite plans about what he would like to do with his life after he graduates. He is consid- ering either finding a job immediately or attending graduate school. Another option is entering the seminary to become a minister. Currently Crager acts as co-president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His hobbies include fishing and spending time with his son. There is little time for other activities, as he says he likes to keep his priorities in order. iiMy very top priority is to believe in what Iim doing. If I canit wake up each day and look in the mirror, happy with what I see, then I am not living as I should, and something needs to be done. uI try to be the best husband, father and Christian I can be. After that everything seems to fall into place? - Story By: Karen Craigo Photos By: Jeff Colquhoun Injuries kept Crager of the field for most of the season. He had a sprained knee and a torn right tricep. His playing time was limited in the fall because of a heavy academic schedule. Kyle Crager 135

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Although Crager feels his small size of 58 will keep him from playing pro ball, he spent the summer traveling with the Athletes in Action. e The semiepro team played baseball and shared religious convictions. Baseball and academics go hand-in-hand for Kyle Crager, a junior math and Seorts Feature journalism major from Morehead. Crager is the second baseman for the University as well as a Presidential scholar. 1 34

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Spons 136 Balancing iiItis been a funny year. At times we played excellantly, and at other times we wondered what was going onfi said assistant baseball coach Frank Spaniol. iiOverall we are pleased with the sea- son. We did progress and we did earn a berth in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament this year, which is some- thing we did not do in the prior year, Spaniol added. The Eagles ended the regular season with a record of 18-22, but Spaniol feels the team is much better than their rec- ord indicates. Scott Smallwood, a pitcher from Mt. Sterling, said, 2W6 lost seven to nine games that we should have won. Little mental mistakes are what hurt us. The key for us is to stay mentally tough? Smallwood added, iiOne 0f the team,s weaknesses is that we donit always play together as a team all at once? Spaniol, Smallwood and Gary Jones, a senior shortshop and co-captain from Detroit, Michigan see the teams old and new talents strengths as being: the consistency of the starting pitchers; the leadership of the upperclassmen, since this is a fairly young team; and the offensive hitting abilities of the team. Spaniol stresses the importance ofthe starting pitching. iiThe starting pitching is the key for us. When the starters are consistent, we are capable of beating just about any- body, said Spaniol. For Jones, in addition to winning the playotfberth, the highlight of the season was beating the University of Kentucky which ranked in the top 25 nationally. Unfortunately, the down side was los- ing to Eastern Kentucky University five times. Kyle Crager mrst basemanl, a junior from More- head, leaps to get the ball during the April 16 game against Eastern. The Eagles lost all three games played. PHOTO BY: Kevin L Goldy After he hit a home run, freshman Shane Mears tinfieldl, from Franklin, Oh., he is met at the plate by freshman Chopper Cambill tcatcherl, from Sa- lyersville. The team lost the game against George- town on April 29. PHOTO BY? Kevin L. Goldy