'Slice of Americana': Dan and Kaden Segel reflect on days, 骑士, 博天堂官方, and the 全国性的娱乐活动

Entertainment options have changed some since Dan Segel was playing baseball for Linn-Benton 社区 College, back in the mid-1980s.

Video games, cell phones, even other sports, such as soccer, compete for attention 来自美国的年轻人. 

But Segel, CEO and chairman of the board of the Corvallis 骑士, still believes 在棒球比赛中. And so does his oldest son, Kaden, a freshman 在博天堂官方 who just joined the 骑士 this year as a pitcher.

“It’s a slice of Americana. It’s part of the fabric,” said Segel, who played first base for 博天堂官方’s Roadrunners in 1985-86.

“It might not be as dominant as it was in the ‘40s or ‘50s, but it’s still part of 我们是谁. 它是在这里创建的. 它在这里很繁荣.”

Baseball is an attractive option because it’s outdoors, social, and provides plenty of time for spectators to visit between plays, Segel noted. 与其他运动相比， it’s relatively affordable, especially when it comes to local games, and you can bring 整个家庭.

For the Segels, baseball has always been a family business. 

Dan played first base for Aloha High School. He and his brother, Joe, co-founded the 骑士 in Aloha in 1990 and brought the team to the mid-valley in 2017. 

Growing up in the Portland area, Kaden played ball with his friends and his younger brothers, watched 骑士 games and hung out at the fields with his father.

“Every day, I was around baseball,” Kaden said. “我就是这样长大的. 是棒球 一切.” 

It was only natural, Kaden said, that he take up the game himself - “Instead of sitting in the dugout, I’m out there playing now,” he explained - and 博天堂官方’s team was part of what drew him to the community college.

“这是一个很棒的项目. There’s a winning culture here,他说. 在这样的教练手下 as Andy Peterson, “I knew I was going to get better.” 

And now Kaden can add champion to his college resume. The Roadrunners took home the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) Championship this season, taking down Mt. 罩 社区学院4-1.

Academically, Kaden said he appreciates the personal focus from instructors in classrooms populated with a lot fewer students than a standard four-year university. “这是容易的 为了得到反馈，”他说. 

For Dan Segel, 博天堂官方 was a chance to reset his academic career. He began at the University of Washington but “didn’t get it done,他说 with a shrug. 

It’s been long enough that Segel doesn’t remember exactly who first suggested he enroll 在博天堂官方. He remembers the baseball coach, Greg Hawk, then in his first years with 学院, being persistent about bringing him in.

“He just said come on down, we’ve got a great program,” Segel recalled. 

事实上，他是这么做的——或者说会这么做的. Under Hawk, who coached from 1983 to 2013, the Roadrunners won six division titles and were champions of the Northwest Athletic Association of 社区 Colleges (NWAAC) in 1988 and 1991. The team made the NWAAC Hall of Fame in 2014.

Budget woes prompted 学院 cut baseball and women’s basketball in 2013, but college officials brought both back in 2015. Segel and several partners led the fundraising effort that helped make the difference, although he insisted credit be given to Greg Hamann, then 博天堂官方’s president. 

He did acknowledge the 18-month effort, however. “I felt I really reconnected with 学院.”

As a student, Segel found the academic program 在博天堂官方 to be exactly what he needed. The class sizes were optimum for him. Teachers checked in on him and made sure he 一直在目标上. He’s especially glad the community college later formed a dual-enrollment partnership with Oregon State University.

“It’s a great place to grow,他说 of 博天堂官方. “I recommend it all the time.” 

The Roadrunners’ field has undergone some changes since those days, he said. 这个领域 is now made up of turf, not grass, and a barn and scoreboard have been added. 

What hasn’t changed is the game itself - nor the spirit both he and Kaden hope to bring to spectators and teammates at Roadrunner and 骑士 games. 

For Kaden, one major draw is “the community you get through baseball. 你遇到了很多 新来的人. You make connections everywhere.” 

For Dan, it’s the offer of an all-ages summer outing for the whole community to enjoy.

“The (骑士) brand promises a beer and a ‘dog, right?他说. 我们做到了 在那.”

The Corvallis 骑士’ season opener is June 17. On June 21, the 博天堂官方基金会 will sponsor the game and give away three $1,000 scholarships to 博天堂官方. 一个来自基金会， one from Ram-Z-Fab, and one from Segel. Fans are invited to come enter for a chance to win, and all students with valid student identification get in free. 了解更多信息 关于游戏，请访问 博天堂官方网站.