In-depth with our sports seniors
Andrew Gaines: The dream Whether pitching at Shea Stadium or Fenway Park, Andrew Gaines was up at sunrise along with his brother and neighborhood kids playing the game of baseball.
Andrew Gaines: The dream
Derek Gibbons- Sports Editor
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Sports
Whether pitching at Shea Stadium or Fenway Park, Andrew Gaines was
up at sunrise along with his brother and neighborhood kids playing
the game of baseball.
"One of my fondest memories as a kid is definitely playing
baseball in my old neighborhood," said Gaines. "I would wake up
almost every morning with my brother and go out and play with the
neighborhood kids until it got dark. Whether it was hardball, with
a tennis ball, or wiffleball, we found some kind of baseball game
to play. We used to have different fields in each others yards, and
pretended we were playing at Shea Stadium and Fenway Park."
Gaines, a pitcher for the College, has always been interested in
the game of baseball. Even as a kid the game was always on his
mind. He would find himself with a ball and glove on his hand
constantly. Even when no one wanted to play, the game just seemed
to find him.
"There's no other game like baseball," said Gaines. "It's the
thinking man's game and it's all about proving yourself over and
over again. I've always had a true passion for baseball and its
history. I could spend all day with a ball and glove when I was a
kid. I couldn't do that with any other sports. I used to throw a
rubber ball against a wall or a set of steps outside for hours when
no one else wanted to play."
Influenced by his father and grandfather, he took to the game
quickly and was an instant fan. His dad always believed in him and
really taught Gaines about work ethic. At the age of seven, Gaines'
grandfather signed him up to play for a team.
"I can still remember my first practice. I could barely catch the
ball," said Gaines.
Growing up, Gaines always had a second shadow behind him. His
brother, Danny, who is a freshman at the College and also pitches
for the team, followed in Gaines's footsteps. Once they both hit
high school, baseball was the only sport for them and it was
something they would excel at. There is one thing Gaines does envy
of his little brother though.
"I've always been jealous of the fact that he's a lefty, but in a
good way," said Gaines.
The two were always competitive with each other growing up and it
resulted in them brawling with each other over the game. When they
were not fighting, they were exceeding the limitations of baseball.
Now on the same team in college, it is a new experience for the
both of them.
"It's definitely a new experience to be playing on the same team
together at such a high level," said Gaines, "but then again it's
just like playing in the yard again. We've always been really
close, and you get to really see how far both of us have come. We
both have the dream.
Gaines expects nothing but the best out of his brother this
season. He expects him to work hard and earn a spot where he can be
a big part of what the team can do this year.
"I expect myself to lead the way for him," said Gaines. "All I can
say is, coming from someone who has played with the kid since we
were four and seven years old, he's going to be a really good
pitcher."
Gaines was never really given the chance to show his stuff on the
mound in high school. In his senior year, he was only given one
start on the mound. To prove his high school coach wrong, Gaines
went 6-0 in his first six starts here at the college.
"I consider myself really lucky to have come to a college baseball
program with a coaching staff that really knows the game. It's
something that I never was really used too," said Gaines.
Gaines was originally recruited by a couple of schools, including
Westfield State, but decided to attend MCLA and try his luck as a
walk-on.
"The school has a good baseball history, so I wanted to come here
to be a part of it and help the program out," said Gaines.
One of Gaines' strongest outings came as freshman against
Springfield College. He pitched eight strong innings with five
strikeouts and got the win.
"Springfield College was always a good local team in my area so it
was good to get a win against them," said Gaines.
Before leaving the school and looking ahead, Gaines has one thing
he wishes to accomplish on the diamond and to himself.
"I just really want to reach my full potential," said Gaines. "I
want to leave North Adams knowing that I did everything I could to
be the best pitcher that I could possibly be. Once I reach that
goal, I'd like to see where I'm at."
Gaines can say the same thing about this year's team. He believes
this year to be the year the team can do something big as long as
everyone works towards it.
"There's no reason why we can't tear this conference apart," said
Gaines. "We've been through way too much to not get it done and
fill that one empty spot on the banner."
