USA Baseball Team visits NCNG; Teamwork on the ball field, Teamwork on the battlefield

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mary Junell | Morrisville, N.C. – Staff Sgt. Charles Woodruff with the North Carolina National Guard’s 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, talks with a group of players from the U.S.A. Baseball 15 and Under National Team during their to the Aviation unit’s headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina on July 22, 2016. The team, which go on to play the World Baseball Softball Confederation World Cup starting July 29th, learned about teamwork and selfless sacrifice from leaders in the NCNG and had on opportunity to interact with Soldiers and their equipment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell)  

MORRISVILLE, NC, UNITED STATES

07.25.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Mary Junell  

North Carolina National Guard

Morrisville, N.C. - Soldiers with the North Carolina National Guard hosted the U.S.A. Baseball 15 and Under National Team at the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade’s Headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina on July 22, 2016.

The players listened to NCNG leaders talk about teamwork and had a chance to interact with Soldiers and some of the equipment they use.

“Teamwork is more than just the skills that you know on the field,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Whitaker, the senior enlisted leader with 60th Troop Command. “Teamwork is trusting in one another’s abilities, knowing that someone has your back.”

Whitaker went on to talk about the similarities between working together as baseball players and working together as Soldiers, giving the players examples of teamwork and overcoming difficulties.

“In anything we do in life there are going to be a series of mistakes,” Whitaker said. “In the military, we call it Murphy’s Law, what can go wrong will go wrong. As Soldiers, our missions never go 100 percent to plan, but we have faith in our brothers and sisters in arms and their skill sets. It’s the same thing you need to do on the field. You need to have faith in each other, expect something to go wrong like an error or a problem and you need to hold your head high, shake it off and move on.”

The team has only known each other for about a week, making these lessons an important part of their training if they hope to be successful in Iwaki, Japan where starting July 29, they will be competing in the World Baseball Softball Confederation World Cup.

Mike Strickland, the manager for the 15 and under team said the Soldiers in the NC National Guard that the players met were perfect examples of selfless sacrifice, an idea he was trying to teach the players.

“What we’re doing with baseball, fails in comparison to what these people put on the line and selflessly serve as a whole,” Strickland said. It’s a great teaching lesson for us to be able to take 20 players who are most likely the best players in their town and surrounding community and tell them they’ve got to let go of how good they think they are and they have to embrace what we’re going to lay down as our mission, to let go of me and hold onto we. It’s great to get to come out here and see that example modeled for us.”

After lessons on teamwork and selfless sacrifice, the players took turns trying on equipment, asking questions and learning about the helicopters housed at the 449th headquarters.

Nate Wohlgemuth, a pitcher who traveled from Owasso, Oklahoma to be part of the U.S.A. Baseball team, who said he had an amazing experience learning about the Soldiers and their gear, also pointed out that the visit showed him that teamwork is not just about baseball.

“You have to have teamwork on the ball field and you have to have teamwork on the battlefield,” he said.

• Date Taken: 07.25.2016
• Date Posted: 07.26.2016 09:58
• Story ID: 205070
• Location: MORRISVILLE, NC, US