Four Hastings College student-athletes are participating on a collegiate summer baseball team, the Hastings Sodbusters, where their working to gain skills on and off the field.
Seniors Markus Miller, Gunnar Pike and Zander Hardy, and recent graduate Tyler Welsh ‘25, are all contributing to the Sodbusters, and all have collegiate experience through the Hastings College Broncos baseball program.
Established in 2018, the Sodbusters are a part of the Independent League Baseball. It’s a growing association spread across three states and includes eight teams. Andy Chase ‘19 is a co-owner and an assistant coach for the Sodbusters, and coaches the esports club team at Hastings College.
During the busy summer league, which includes travel, players have to balance commitments to the team with internships and jobs. Student-athletes understand the importance of practicing and training over the summer and learn how to stay responsible and committed to their sport while maintaining their commitment to their academics and future career.
“Summer ball is all about getting reps and keeping the players active. The worst thing to do is take a break, it can be detrimental to how you play in season,” Chase said.
Miller, who is from Hastings, is studying physical education at Hastings College. In addition to playing for the Sodbusters, he coaches a Hastings American Legion Baseball team. He plans on becoming a physical education teacher and hopes to coach wrestling and baseball.
“Just seeing baseball from a different perspective, the way a coach looks at a game compared to a player is kind of different,” Miller said. “The head coach is like a teacher, so I am able to ask him questions that can contribute towards my future career.”
Pike, a mathematics major from Broomfield, Colorado, is a pitcher for the Broncos and the Sodbusters. When he’s not on the field, he works at Head Start, an early childhood development center, and at Blue Fork, a local restaurant. Pike said he plans on working towards his masters in mathematics and becoming a statistician.
“Both of the jobs I’m working are very flexible and are very accommodating to each other. It involves a lot of early planning and setting up a schedule,” Pike said. “These jobs help me grow as a person and learn how to interact with an assortment of different people.”
Miller said Sodbusters is different because he gets to experience other coaching styles and new teammates. The Sodbusters bring in players from all across the country, and Miller said he enjoys getting to know other players and the different practice styles and techniques they have.
Being able to play with different people has broadened his knowledge and can contribute towards his coaching and teaching passions.
Pike said he enjoys that summer baseball is more relaxed and everyone is there trying to have fun and grow as individuals. He’s played on a summer baseball team every year since he was little. So, when it comes to balancing athletics and a job, he is used to juggling multiple things at once.
The Broncos and Sodbusters both play at historic Duncan field in Hastings, which was built in 1940 and is known to be larger than any current MLB field by square footage. The field has attracted many baseball athletes and has become a monumental staple in Hastings.
“Home runs don’t happen often at Duncan Field, which pitchers have learned to love about it. It’s a pitchers’ paradise here,” Chase said.
Participating on both Broncos and Sodbusters, Miller and Pike have been able to get involved with the Hastings community.
“Being able to pitch in my hometown in front of the community I grew up in is kind of cool to me. And going to Hastings College has allowed me to give back to the community,” Miller said.
Pike being from Colorado has had a different experience coming from a bigger town. He has had more flexibility with his schedule and chose to stay in Hastings to not only work on his career and athletics, but to also learn about living on his own.
“A lot of it is credited to the people where I work and play baseball at. With it being a smaller town, employers know about the Sodbusters and they want to support their home teams and young athletes,” Pike said. “They want to support their community, so they are very accommodating when it comes to the busy life of a college athlete.”
