Watching her brother play baseball sparked senior Ellie Fuller’s interest in the sport, leading her to find her own connection to the game.
“So I was like, how can I be more involved with baseball here, and then I’m wondering, can I be the manager?” Fuller said.
Fuller reached out to the freshman baseball coach at the time and asked if she could become the team’s student manager. She has been the manager since her freshman year.
One of Fuller’s responsibilities is to manage GameChanger, an app the team uses to track every pitch and play.
Fuller is one of three student managers for the varsity baseball team this year alongside seniors Nathan Rothschild and Marcus Weller.
Rothschild organizes pitchers’ statistics throughout the season, keeping track of pitching velocities and if they are hitting their spots, he said.
According to Justin Weiner, head varsity baseball coach, last year Rothschild collected data analytics during games to communicate when pitchers needed to be switched.
“He would then use that data analytics he got and come to [varsity pitching coach Tom Gertner] or me or someone and communicate that [a pitcher] is starting to drop on his fastball, or his change up,” said Weiner. “Then we’d know it’s time for us to get someone else in the game, and then he would be a part of that game conversation.”
The baseball coaches involve the student managers in the drills and the program as much as they can, Weiner said.
Fuller assists the team with different throwing, fielding, and hitting drills and feeds baseballs into the pitching machines, she said.
“As a part of our hitting drill and practice, she always brings her glove,” said Weiner. “It’s awesome. She is truly a part of the program, and honestly helps [the coaches] a lot when she’s there.”
Weiner invited Fuller and Rothschild to attend the baseball team’s annual spring break trip to Arizona last season.
According to Rothschild, the baseball team was able to play lots of games and tour the White Sox spring training facility while they were in Arizona.
According to Weiner, it was a no-brainer for him to invite Fuller and Rothschild.
“I truly do appreciate them, because they take a lot off of my plate, ranging from major things to minor things, like even just setting up the Wi-Fi,” said Weiner. “That’s something that I used to have to do, and they just take it away.”
Student managers also assist other sports teams. Sophomore Oliver Miller, juniors Jack Dickson and Isaac Margolis and senior Matthew Shore are managers for the football team.
“[The student managers] all do great things, and each one does something different than the other,” said Matt Purdy, head varsity football coach. “So whatever works best for them is what’s important. We don’t have a job description for them. [The position] allows them to be a part of our team, which is the most important thing.”
Margolis, Miller and Shore assist in practices and games by being ball boys, getting water and grabbing equipment, Purdy said.
According to Dickson, at almost every practice and game, he feels like he is a part of the team in some way.
“I value every second I have with them, just like our players,” said Purdy. “In my mind, they’re all one part of our big family. I tell our players that those guys work for all of us, and they should be valued and respected.”