College athletes 'grinding it out' with the Chinooks this summer

Lakeshore Chinooks, college athletes

Lots of college students rely on summer internships to learn more about their chosen field and get some networking opportunities. Some baseball players essentially do that on the field. Tim Van Vooren goes Beyond the Game.

MEQUON, Wis. - In the month of July, the Lakeshore Chinooks play 29 Northwoods League games.

"It's a grind," said Josh Overbeek. "Every day you show up, and we're all chasing a career and an adventure, to be honest."

The players on the roster have certainly found the latter.

They come from colleges across the country to play baseball in a wood bat league.

They know they'll be evaluated on the ability to do it day and day out, to do it in a gleaming home ballpark as well as in older, less appointed facilities in the league.

Local players like Blake Kunz from Germantown and South Dakota State live at home.

Guys like Ohioan Overbeek stay with host families in the area.

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The Chinooks do an excellent job of building an organizational team culture from the folks who help out on game night, all the way down to the players.

But if you're one of those players, you know you have to have a singular focus.

"It always comes down to you, you are your own business," Overbeek said. "You've gotta find a way to try to move up. It's very cut-throat and on the team it takes multiple guys being on each other and pushing each other so that you can get better and holding each other accountable so that when you do move up, and you get the chance, you're ready for it."

The 20-year-old Overbeek played junior college ball in Texas and is headed for the University of Nebraska after his Chinooks season.

You can find a birthdate 2005 on the roster, just as you can find 1999 for Kunz. He started his college sports career playing football for the Jackrabbits before switching back to baseball for his final two seasons of eligibility.

"At this point, you have not as much time to improve, I guess," said Kunz, "Where all these other guys have more time. But I think being a veteran, you know, you know everything for the most part and that helps you every day."

"I completely understand that this is their career, it's their summer, it's their at-bats and if I can help and guide them in any way, that's what I am here for," said Chinooks Manager Trevor Cho.

These guys may be at different points in their careers, and from different parts of the country, but for this summer, they are grinding together.