June 6, 2011
Nashville, Tenn. – It can be a tough time of year for graduating seniors. Exhilaration, relief, uncertainty all tinged with optimism reserved for those who feel a true sense of accomplishing something. Six members of the Commodore baseball program are set to transition to life beyond Hawkins Field, while focusing on the task of getting to Omaha to leave a definitive mark on the program.
“I’m hoping everything works well in the draft, but if that doesn’t I am hoping that I can take my communications degree and work within a broadcasting company,” said Curt Casali who is a media favorite as a quote machine. “I want to stay involved in sports, not necessarily as an anchor, but to be part of what ESPN or NBC Sports does and to develop a relationship with some of the people who are higher up in those companies. I definitely want to see where baseball can take me, but the sports communications component is really what I would like to get into.”
Drew Fann completed an internship with 104.5 The Zone FM radio as the final requirement to finish with a bachelors degree in Human and Organizational Development (HOD). “I grew up listening to George (Plaster) on the Zone (sports talk radio), so it was really great to work with them and get to know what they do first hand,” said Fann, a Murfreesboro native. “In the fall, I will either attend Vanderbilt’s Peabody College in the Masters of Policy program or I will attend law school. I haven’t decided yet, but I want to do something with sports law either as an arbitrator or agent. It would allow me to combine sports and law.”
“Hopefully the draft works out as it is very unpredictable,” said Taylor Hill, who turned down the Cleveland Indians offer last year to complete his HOD degree this spring. “HOD is an emphasis on organizational management. In the track that I took, there are management classes and organizational classes that really teach you how things, no matter what business you talk about, can be boiled down to structure. Once you know how to evaluate, it can be applied to anything. Being a part of this team and getting to watch first-hand someone like Coach Corbin, has given me a real advantage that I will be able to take with me into baseball and beyond.”
Bryan Johns came to West End after an incredible sophomore season at Howard Junior College as part of the 2009 Junior College National Championship team that lost only once (63-1) all season. He earned the reputation as a hard-nosed team player for the Commodores immediately hitting .370 with a .479 on-base percentage as a super-utility player in 2010. “I created my own major, Creativity in Critical Thought,” explained Johns with a wry smile that often makes it hard to tell when he is kidding and is a reason why he is a leader both on and off the field. “My major combines philosophy, sociology, business and management. I would love to continue to play baseball this summer, but anything around baseball or sports in general maybe even coaching, would be ideal for me.”
Aaron Westlake has a unique situation as many major league baseball scouts see him as a premium talent in a deep amateur draft. Westy suffered through blood clots as a true freshman in 2008, which are grounds for a medical redshirt that should allow him to play at Vanderbilt in 2012. He also walked at graduation with a degree in Financial Management. “I went for a business degree that I hope will help me beyond baseball, but I would be interested in working on the financial side with a Major League team or the front office. I enjoy the analysis and marketing parts of business, which will help me with anything I end up in. Hopefully I will play some baseball and build up my contacts in sports. “
Then there is the guy that just gets things done. Inherent in any organization is a detail-oriented individual who has a knack for getting things done that keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly and most importantly, gets them done correctly. The Director of Baseball Operations is Daniel Harris, a three-year veteran of the baseball program who also finished out his internship requirement and received his HOD degree. “It’s been a great experience for me personally working with the Coach Corbin, Josh (Holliday) and DJ (Derek Johnson). Whatever is next, continuing with baseball or in another area of business, I will always see this as a great place where I learned a great deal.”
David Schnabel is the least known name if you follow Vanderbilt baseball, but everyone notices his work. “Schnabs” has been the mastermind behind every video piece done for Vanderbilt baseball over the last three seasons. From the “2011 Dance Off”, to the epic “Commodore Cribs” to the 2010 Vanderbilt Highlight video shown at the banquet in January, Schnabs has depicted life around the baseball program just short of a reality television program. In fact, it was David Schnabel who produced and directed the incredible Commodore All-Access webcast that makes CBS Sportsline broadcasts look so good from every angle.
“I am going to work within Major League Baseball,” said the Westhampton Beach, New York native who completed his bachelors in musical arts at the Blair School of Music earlier this month with an eye on film school. “I am going to be working on video projects for a team and its players which will give me an opportunity to do something that I really like. It all comes back to the experience here with baseball.”
For now though, the entire 2011 graduating class is firmly locked in on making one last road trip together into the heart of Nebraska. Everything else can wait.
