BY JEFF FALK

Matriculating is a process. A student-athlete doesn’t just wake up one day and find himself matriculated.

The outstanding – sometimes spectacular – three-sport scholastic career of Michigan Daub is winding down.

For the most part, Daub tries not to look back or allow himself to reflect. But when he does, it is with pride and joy and few regrets.

Yet there exists another part of Daub which is ready to move on. The Northern Lebanon senior seems ready to tackle the challenges the next level presents.

Over the greater part of the last three years, Daub has starred on the diamond, on the gridiron and on the court. He has truly been the Vikings ‘Man of Every Season’, for a variety of reasons.

“I feel like I’ve had an exceptional career,” said Daub. “If I would’ve been more healthy, it might’ve been even better. But I’m a ‘win’ guy. The fact that I’m going to go on and play it, and that we haven’t had as many wins in baseball, is a little upsetting.

“For the most part, I’m pretty pleased with the way it has gone,” continued Daub. “I would’ve liked to have won more in all three sports. In basketball, we only had one season over .500. In baseball, we had three, but they were all like one or two games over .500. I wish we would’ve been able to make the playoffs more. Another thing I regret is not winning the school’s first playoff game in football.”

Big, strong, fast, intelligent and with a cannon where most people have right arms, Daub has the physical tools to play multiple sports on the college level. But he has chosen to further his athletic and academic endeavors as a baseball player at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland, a place where former Annville-Cleona star Mitch Long currently toils.

“I got a little bit of interest for football,” said Daub, who is both confident and humble. “But I didn’t really put myself out there. I feel like I have a brighter future playing college baseball than college football.

“If I had to pick a favorite sport it would be football,” added Daub. “But I think I’m a little better in baseball.”

“I think it’s (baseball) what he enjoys doing,” said Northern Lebanon baseball coach Daryl Hess of Daub. “He really enjoys playing baseball. And he really enjoys playing football.

“Looking at his offense and defense, he’s a fantastic player,” Hess continued. “He can run. He can get down the line, and he can steal some bases for you. It’s been a pleasure coaching him. He’s a good kid and a good player.”

A smart, athletic quaterback on the football team, Daub helped the Vikings to Lancaster-Lebanon Section Three championships and District Three postseason appearances in two of the last three falls. As a versatile inside-or-outside performer, Daub was a stalwart on the Northern Lebanon basketball team and this winter played a huge part in the Vikings attaining the type of success that had eluded them over previous winters.

As a baseball player, Daub was one of the key cogs in Fredericksburg’s drive to a Lebanon County American Legion championship and a Region Four tournament title last summer.

“There are two things from the top of my head that I’m most proud of,” said Daub of career highlights. “The strip and touchdown on the next play (that provided the winning margin during a 21-14 Lancaster-Lebanon Section Three title-clinching victory over Lancaster Catholic), or striking out the final kid at regionals to go to states.

“I just went with the flow,” continued Daub. “The first year we won the section championship in football, I was more of a role player. My junior and senior years, I had to be the quarterback, I had to be ‘the guy’. That went with basketball as well. We found ways to win because we had each other’s backs. We had this energy that brightened each other.”

“One of the things he’s been is very consistent,” said Hess of Daub. “His hitting stats have been really good the last three years. One of the things we always got is really good offensive stats from him. Defensively, I could play him anywhere.”

For Daub, the regrets are few. But if he has any, it’s that a number of nagging injuries limited his productivity, which has congruently limited the number of Northern Lebanon wins.

“I try not to think about the end, but I have to,” said Daub, who declared himself 90 percent healthy. “After football ended and after basketball ended, it was like, ‘I have one more season left’. It’s a little saddening. But every good thing has got to end. I wouldn’t say I’m seeing the big picture. I’m going day-to-day. But I’m trying to strengthen my relationships with my teammates and coaches.

“(High school) Baseball is the only sport I haven’t been to the postseason.” added Daub. “Ideally, the goal would be to go to leagues (Lancaster-Lebanon) or distict (Three) playoffs. Winning one (a playoff game) would put the cherry on top of the icing.”

“I hate to see an athlete – on any level of sports – have an injury that holds him back.” said Hess, whose club currently stands 2-6 overall and 2-3 in Section Three of the L-L. “It has to have a little bit of an effect on you. I felt bad for him because it had to hold him back. I know he’s been struggling with that. He seems, right now, to be pretty healthy. He looked great for us on the monnd the other night.”

It’s not that Daub has accomplished everything that he could on the scholastic level. But there remains little left for him to prove.

“I would say I’m pretty eager,” said Daub of competing on the college level. “I’ve never seen a 90-plus mile-per-hour fastball, so it’s going to be tough. But I’ve always believed big-time players produce in big-time situations. I think I’ll be able to make adjustments.

“I’m definitely going to miss the atmosphere at football games,” continued Daub. “They’re better than anything I’ve ever experienced. And I’m definitely going to miss basketball, too. The nice thing about basketball is that you can play one-on-one with your friends.”

“One of the toughest things about being a coach is when those seniors go,” said Hess. “One of the hardest things is when you say, ‘This is our last game’. But one of the things I enjoy is watching them go on. I sort of look foward to it. That’s exciting for me to see, how they do on the next level. That happens to me every year.

“He’s a nice kid,” concluded Hess. “I’ve always liked Mich. He has a good rapport with his teammates and coaches. I like having him around. He works hard for us. He’s a very likeable kid, and that’s something that’s going to help him at the next level.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To purchase images in this article email jkfalk2005@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Northern Lebanon Baseball Schedule

Date	Opponents	Results
3/27 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Cedar Crest	2 16
3/29 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Hamburg	6 7
4/06 4:15 pm	Cocalico at Northern Lebanon	13 14
4/09 4:15 pm	Lebanon at Northern Lebanon	4 15
4/10 4:00 pm	Northern Lebanon at Manheim Central	1 3
4/11 4:15 pm	Garden Spot at Northern Lebanon	2 1
4/12 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Elco	14 20
4/14 12:00 pm	McCaskey at Northern Lebanon	10 1
4/17 4:15 pm	Annville-Cleona at Northern Lebanon
4/18 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Lancaster Mennonite
4/20 4:15 pm	Pequea Valley at Northern Lebanon
4/23 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Columbia
4/25 4:15 pm	Lancaster Catholic at Northern Lebanon
4/26 4:15 pm	Manheim Central at Northern Lebanon
4/30 7:00 pm	Elco at Northern Lebanon
5/02 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Cocalico
5/04 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Lebanon
5/07 4:15 pm	Northern Lebanon at Garden Spot
5/09 4:15 pm	Palmyra at Northern Lebanon