It was an ordinary day. Just received the latest copy of "Millersville University REVIEW" which is the bi-yearly newsletter that is mailed to those who have gradated in the past from Millersville University, once known as Millersville State Teacher's College. I graduated from the college in the summer of 1967, a half-year after I taught Industrial Arts at a school in York, Pennsylvania. Industrial Arts teachers were in short supply so I was allowed to begin my teaching career early, knowing I would finish my coursework at Millersville as soon as possible. I did so the summer after that first half-semester of teaching in York County. I began the following fall semester teaching Industrial Arts at my high school alma mater, Manheim Township High School. Taught wood, metal, graphic arts and photography there until finally retiring in 1999. Since that time I stay up-to-date with everything going on at Millersville by reading my bi-yearly "Millersville University REVIEW." Well, the reason I am telling you about my latest copy of the "Review" is that it features a cover photograph of Chas McCormick who graduated from Millersville in 2017. He appears on the cover in his Millersville University baseball uniform.
Chad's story begins on page 16 of the "Review" and tells the story of his rise to professional baseball player and eventually a member of the team that won the World Series twice as a starter for the Houston Astros. Now...how neat could that be! Way before World Series fame came his playing days at Millersville University where he played at Millersville's Cooper Park. He was the 2017 PSAC East Athlete of the Year and set the PSAC record for hits and catches. Millersville fans had seen McCormick make brilliant catches as the team's right fielder. He ran into the wall and saved a run in the 8th inning against Mercyhurst in the 2015 PSAC Semifinals. Millersville eventually went on to win the Championship. Then there was the 2016 Atlantic Regionals when he saved the season and started a run to the Division II World Series with a diving catch in the bottom of the ninth against Seton Hill. I only wish I had been there to see all those fantastic plays that are told about our Millersville hero, Chad. But, there were many more memories that have been written about him. There was the time he scaled the wall in right-center field and robbed All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto of several bases in the bottom of the ninth of game five and preserved a 3-2 win for his Astros. Yeah...the same Realmuto who now plays for the Phils. The photo of his silhouette imprinted in the warning track went viral. The catch and the game-five victory made McCormick, a former 21st round draft pick from a Division II school in Pennsylvania, a household name and legend in Houston. Playing in the World Series was a dream come true for Chas, but playing in Philadelphia for the first time against the favorite team of his family, friends and former Millersville teammates only intensified the pressure on McCormick. He received lots of good-natured ribbing before, during and after the Series, and all of this made the three games in Philadelphia a precious amalgamation of feelings for McCormick. Warming up before the first game in Philly was amazing. Quite a few of his family were on hand to cheer on the Phils as well as McCormick. When Chas left Millersville and headed to the Astros organization, it felt very similar to leaving high school and heading to Millersville. The two things are relationships and development. You see what the Millersville alumni base had become. It's a family says brother Ryan. If you are around the Astros as much as I've been in the six years since Chas was drafted, the same things fit. It's relationships in the organization. The number of guys that Chas played with all through the minor leagues, all these guys are in the big leagues from moving through the system, and a lot of them aren't first-round picks. These are guys who have earned it. At Millersville, Coach Jon Shehan always said, "leave no doubt" if you want to play every day. He makes you earn it. Chas is one of four Millersville alums to play in the Major Leagues and the first alum to win a major sports championship as a player in any sport.
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| Chas making contact in his Millersville University Uniform |
Millersville coach Jon Shehan said, "Millersville has always been a big family. That's what college athletics is supposed to be. It's become too much of a business, and there is volatility in chasing wins instead of chasing culture that can lead to wins. The game has changed so much. We can't have the same program today that we did when Ryan was here in 2011 or when Chas was here in 2016. We continue to learn, innovate and improve on the culture and player development. The methods may change, but the relationships and the selfless and relentless core values endure and produce the same winning results. And those results were seen by millions on Nov. 5 when McCormick crashed into the outfield wall and fell to the warning track with the World Series hopes of two fan bases squeezed in his glove. McCormick may be an Astro now, but he'll be a Marauder forever. And...I can attest to that. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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