Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Club Ultimate Frisbee embraces new circumstances with a bright future ahead Butler’s Club Ultimate Frisbee team has continued despite the threat of COVID-19 Ryan Grill When the Butler Club Ultimate that makes everyone comfortable. Currently, the team team believes its ability to practice while others aren’t Sports Reporter Frisbee team discovered its ability to is practicing three days a week at the intramural fields. will give them an upper hand. [email protected] practice was in jeopardy due to the Practices usually include working on fundamentals and “Us being able to practice, critique stuff, work on stuff, COVID-19 pandemic, 28-year-old head coach Arthur scrimmaging. fix things, improve — it’s definitely a big advantage over Small knew just what to do. With COVID-19 cutting off social connection, the the other teams, so we’re setting the bar high,” Ernst After all, Small is a population health manager for ultimate frisbee team has provided a respite for many of said. Indiana University Health, which means he oversees re- its players. The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, does provide gional operations & strategy deployment for population Sophomore cutter Vaughn Ernst is a first-year player some obstacles for the team. health initiatives, and holds a Masters Degree in public that did not initially see himself in club ultimate frisbee. These new rules and guidelines do provide some chal- health from Boston University. Going into his second year at Butler, Ernst was most in- lenges in terms of what the team is able to do. Return- So, he hosted a meeting with the four captains of the terested in playing for club soccer, but quickly realized ing sophomore handler Caiden Lukan acknowledged team in which he created a COVID-19 proof plan. that it would not be active this semester. there have been some differences in how practice is run Then, he met with club sports coordinator Bailey Finoc- “It’s given me something to do, something to look this year, but is thankful to be on the field. chio. Small and Finocchio’s plan was comprehensive yet forward to and something to get me out of my room “A lot of the time we are playing zone defense, which simple: buy masks for the team, social distance, and for and maybe associate with some people that I wouldn’t doesn’t allow us to work on some of our other offensive Small, taking all the equipment home to clean it. normally hang out with,” Ernst said. “It’s always nice sets because they’re dependent on man defense,” Lukan Also included in the plan was that a club supervisor to not only improve yourself, but improve said. “But I’m just grateful that we’re able to practice.” would be required at each practice. relationships and meet new Small knew that in-person practice and team building Before practice, coaches p e op l e .” was crucial to the club, as it was just recently sanctioned and players would be Returning soph- by the university in 2017. required to show omore handler “Had the season not been able to happen and us not their daily Caiden Lukan been able to practice, I really think that it would have health also encour- potentially been a real issue for the longevity of the screen- aged Ernst to program,” Small said. ing, join the team. The passion for success within the club ultimate team Lukan said he is undeniable but for Small and his players, being part was apprecia- of this group means more. tive that Butler “I know that the players on the team and the team it- was allowing self is hopeful and we are preparing ourselves like we’re them to practice in going to be able to play for a chance to go to nationals a safe environment. for the first time in program history,” Small said. “That’s Not only does it allow really what we set our sights on this year.” the students to get out and To Small, being a coach is about being a mentor to a and take a break from class, Lakan group of guys that may need guidance at times. Small play- said, it also serves as an advantage in accredited one of his former ultimate frisbee coaches ers would the future. for much that he has become today, and wants to do the have to pro- If all goes to plan, the team is rallying around one same with his players. vide their Butler ID for contract-tracing purposes. main goal — to make it to a national championship. “Being a college ultimate coach is a lot more than just Their plan was approved by the university, and after Two years ago, only one game separated them from teaching kids how to throw a Frisbee,” Small said. “You it went into effect, it inspired other Butler club sports’ nationals, and at the time they had less than 10 players. really do become kind of a father figure and a mentor, COVID-19 plans. Now, with a roster double that amount, the team has its and you get to help a lot of kids who have a good head Small credits his familiarity with the subject for the fingers crossed for an opportunity. on their shoulders, but maybe have some questions team’s ability to create and execute a plan in a manner If the rumor of a spring postseason comes true, the about the next steps in life.” Randy Arozarena: Baseball’s Next Phenom Tampa Bay rookie takes the baseball world by storm with his ex- plosion on offense during the 2020 postseason Brian Cooney Tampa Bay Rays’ outfielder Randy Arozarena’s breakout perfor- He is putting up these impressive stats in front of millions watching. Sometimes, players Sports Reporter mance in the 2020 MLB playoffs could be the greatest postseason run struggle to play well in the postseason because the pressure eats at them, but Arozarena [email protected] of all time and could jumpstart the 25-year-old Cuban’s potential thrived in big situations. superstar career. In Game 1 of the ALDS, Arozarena hit a home run off New York Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole, Arozarena set the MLB record for home runs in a single postseason with 10, while setting possibly the best pitcher in baseball. The Yankees went on to win 9-3, but the blast was a the franchise home run record in just his first season. Arozerena also recorded 27 hits in the testament of what may come in the future for Arozarena. 2020 playoffs, surpassing Pablo Sandoval’s previous MLB record for hits in a single postsea- Some may tag Arozarena as a one-hit wonder — take Evan Longoria, former Tampa Bay son. Ray, who had a similarly impressive playoff run as a rookie. Longoria previously held the A rookie with these types of numbers is spectacular, but especially since Arozarena accom- team record of six career home runs in the postseason, which Arozarena just shattered in plished these feats on the biggest stage in baseball. just one year’s run. Despite the Rays’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020 World Series, Arozarena was While Arozarena is already a legend for breaking the postseason record for home runs and undoubtedly the biggest story of this year’s MLB postseason. He carried the Rays’ offense hits in a single postseason, he is going to want to build off this performance as the most- through the postseason, leading his team in almost every batting statistic. feared hitter in the Rays’ lineup next season. He spent the first two years of his professional career in his home country of Cuba with the If he can keep this type of performance up for a full 162-game season, Arozarena would Vegueros de Pinar del Río of the Cuban National Series. Arozarena then moved to Mexico, solidify himself as one of the best players in today’s game. Expect him to shock the world where he had stints in three different leagues. next season, as he tries to lead the Rays back to the World Series. In July of 2016, Arozarena signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals for $1.25 million. And after a season in the minor league system and another in back in Mexico, he returned back with the Cardinals for his last season in the minors in 2018. After six years of playing professionally, Arozarena made his major league debut for the Cardinals on Aug. 14, 2019. In his 19 games with St. Louis, Arozarena batted .300 with an unspectacular one home run and two RBIs. His time in St. Louis would not last long, how- ever, as he was traded to the Rays on Jan. 9, 2020 in a four-player deal. During the 60-game 2020 season, Arozarena played in just 20 games as a utility player during the regular season, hitting .281, but broke out in the power department with seven home runs and 11 RBIs, showing glimpses of stardom. In the postseason, the rookie flipped a switch. Arozarena was previously an unknown player, but quickly became a household name, hitting for a .377 average with 10 home runs and 14 RBIs. Arozarena’s explosion catapulted the small-market Rays into the World Series; he dominat- ed pitchers in every series. In the ALCS against the Houston Astros, he hit four home runs, including one in Game 7 to seal the Rays’ trip to the Fall Classic. While no player has ever done something like this before, Arozarena’s breakout especially came as a surprise as a rookie.