By Whitney Bauer
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- On Sunday, March 23, UND senior infielder Chris Gulsvig encountered his only concern with UND’s baseball series against Upper Iowa -- weather. The three-game series was canceled due to inclement weather.
"When we go, I want to play, I don’t want to get down there and get stuck with bad weather," Gulsvig says. "We can’t really control the weather. We can only control how we play and we will be ready to play."
Heading into his final season as a Sioux athlete, Gulsvig, a native of Bismarck, N.D., has become a valuable player to the baseball team. In his first three seasons, the business management major earned numerous academic and athletic awards including academic All-NCC honors in both 2006 and 2007, NCC academic honorable mention, first team All-NCC honors, and the NCC Commissioner’s Baseball Academic Honor Roll in 2006 and 2007.
Looking back at all of his baseball memories, one memory stands out more than the rest.
"When I was 15, we went to the Babe Ruth World Series, but going back I have a lot of memories," Gulsvig recalls. "It isn’t just one memory, it is a combination. There are a lot of memories with all the guys that I have met throughout the years."
Gulsvig took some time to answer some questions about being a member of the baseball team.
Q: What is the best part about being a Sioux athlete?
A: Probably all of the people I have met. It has been a lot of fun. I have met a lot of people outside of baseball, too.
Q: What is the team’s biggest strength going into this season?
A: Our biggest strength would have to be that we are a young team; there is a lot of talent on the team. We haven’t got it all quite together yet, but we are progressing and we will get it all together and win some ball games.
Q: How has the team been preparing for next year’s switch to Division I?
A: It is going to be a lot different. There will be a lot more traveling. I know the younger guys have to prepare their class loads and the requirements will be different next year. It’s not really going to affect me, so I haven’t really thought about what will happen. There will also be different recruiting; more athletes will be coming up to UND to play Division I.
Q: What are your plans for next year?
A: Right now I am all done with school, so I am doing some job hunting. I really don’t know what next year will bring, for the first time in my life, so right now I am just enjoying the season.
Q: Do you have any game day rituals?
A: I don’t really, but I am somewhat superstitious. If I eat something and I get on a hitting streak, I will keep doing it. As far as pre-game rituals, I just do a lot of stretching.
Q: Do you have any personal goals for this season?
A: This is probably the first year in a long time that I didn’t set a personal goal. Battling through an injury and surgery last year, I didn’t really set a statistical goal. On the field, I hope to just help my team out and have a good time my last season of baseball.
Q: How do you feel the team competed at the Gene Cusic Classic?
A: I think we did a good job competing. We actually led every game. I would have liked to come out of it with 7 or 8 wins, but it was good to see a lot of the young guys play and gain some experience. We developed some confidence. I was pleased with everything but the final record (4-4). Overall we did a good job.
