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Sports

Oglethorpe Baseball Player Ends Career in University's Record Books

Center fielder Brendan Pilger ends his college career as the program's leader in home run, stolen bases and doubles.

When centerfielder Brendan Pilger hit his first home run as a high school player, the sophomore got a valuable lesson that he would carry with him into his record-setting college baseball career at the Brookhaven university.

A check-swing hit barely cleared a short fence and Pilger’s coach stopped him as he rounded third base with a message: “Get your money’s worth.”

Later the coach would explain why he shared the advice with the young Pilger even after a homerun result. The coach at Atlanta’s St. Pius X Catholic High School reminded the player that he has one swing to make contact and put the ball in play, so don’t cheat yourself.

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“You don’t want to give half effort because after that half effort you might not get the outcome you want,” Pilger explained further.

It’s an attitude and approach that has landed the six-foot, 215-pound outfielder in record books. Through 38 games this season, Pilger’s impressive season has added to an equally impressive college career that places him at the top of the school’s all-time homerun, stolen bases and doubles lists. The talented young man that his college head coach, Dan Giordano, calls a “five-tool player” is also on pace to set the school’s runs scored record.

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But Pilger wasn’t destined for the record books when he set foot on campus. Giordano describes a player he recruited as one in need of some seasoning.

“You could see he had the body, the speed and the arm,” Giordano said. “You could see that he was going to be a good hitter, he just needed some time to mature. Really, I classify him as a late bloomer. He wasn’t awesome in high school, he was a good player, but I could see that he had it in him with a little bit of coaching and time to figure it out.”

By Pilger’s own admission, his high school senior season wasn’t very good, but he still landed at Oglethorpe, a school at which he’s thankful to have ended up.

“They gave me a chance to not only play, but start for my entire career,” he said. “As far as my education, it’s a great institution”

Though given the opportunity to start from day one was there, Pilger still had to earn it and that meant a lot of work with his head coach on a new approach at the plate, starting with a complete overhaul of his swing. That took a few years of work to achieve the muscle memory needed to do it repeatedly.

“Coach Giordano was great in telling me that I had to hit my own way and a way that was comfortable to me,” he said.

A solid junior season flashed the potential that Giordano saw and after a torrid start to his senior season in 2010, an injury took him off the field for good after nine games, but not before he did something that will be remembered by anyone associated with the Stormy Petrel baseball program for years to come.

During the season opener, Pilger hit three straight homeruns after striking out to begin the game. Each homerun was to a different part of the field, including the final one to left, a walk-off game winner.

“That will probably be pretty big on everyone’s mind when they think of Brendan Pilger is that game right there,” Giordano said.

It’s a memory that stands out for Pilger as well and it’s one of the moments he draws inspiration from.

After a slow start this season, Oglethorpe’s trainer shared with him an article about the Brazilian soccer superstar Ronaldinho. Before every match he sits alone with a towel draped over his head, thinking about his past successes and how he can translate that to immediate and future instances of the same.

It’s a strategy that Pilger implemented, leading to his record-setting 2011 season.

“Approaching it that way helps to reinforce yourself with past good experiences and transfer them to future experiences,” he said. “Because when you have confidence it can carry you.”

Much of his continued confidence comes from that standout three-homer game from last season.

“I always try to think back to that game to give me confidence,” he explained. “In the on-deck circle I ask myself ‘Who are you?’ I always remind myself that I am the guy that did that and that I can be successful in this next at bat as well.”

The approach led to his fifth-year senior season’s 11 homeruns, 12 doubles and 21 stolen base season output and into the record books. It’s a personal honor that Pilger appreciates, but it also gives a nod to all those that helped along the way.

“It’s a huge achievement and something I treasure because not everyone gets a chance to play college baseball or log enough time to accumulate those stats as well,” Pilger said. “I’m very blessed to have had the opportunity to do that and I think that it’s not just a personal win for myself but also my parents who have helped me through baseball my entire life to all my coaches who have had faith in me to this point. I look at it as a way to honor them as well as the personal gratification.”

With the center fielder stepping into the record books, Oglethorpe University, everyone in his baseball past and present, including Pilger himself, all got their money’s worth. 

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