With just a handful of games left, there’s still a chance for senior shortstop Garrett Koster and the Elon University baseball team to create memories. The Phoenix are still in contention for the Southern Conference regular season title, but they need help and probably will have to pull it straight out of a hat to take the title. For now, Koster recalls the memories he’s already made in his time at Elon, and they have a consistent feature: a dog pile.
“Last year, we played College of Charleston (at Elon) in a three-game series,” Koster said. “It was really a big series and we had a walk-off win and a huge dog pile out on the mound. Actually (former Elon player) Jared Kernodle got hurt and ended up missing the rest of the season with a wrist injury, but that was definitely the best.”
Koster’s other favorite dog pile was after winning the SoCon regular season championship last season on the Phoenix's home field. Following the win, the team piled on the mound again, but this time, it was injury-free.
Playing college baseball — or any college sport — is not the only thing that matters in the world. It’s about becoming a better person and maturing into a young adult. That’s what college athletics is all about, and Koster knows it.
“Coach Kennedy does a great job of helping us become better baseball players and better people,” Koster said. “He makes us go to class, and I’ve become a much better student since I got here, and I have become a better person.”
Majoring in sport and event management, Koster has one more semester to go before he can graduate, but he already knows what he would like to do after graduation.
“I want to get into coaching or even the front office of a minor league (baseball) team and work my way up to the major league level,” Koster said.
Koster transferred to Elon following one season at Winthrop University and one season at Walters State Community College. At Winthrop, he made 19 appearances for the Eagles in 2009, hitting .239. The following year at Walters State Community College, Koster hit .343 with 45 runs scored and 41 RBIs.
Following the season at WSCC, Koster found himself at Elon — a decision he doesn’t regret.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better time at Elon,” Koster said. “I recommend Elon to all of my friends younger than me, anyone who wants to play baseball, I always tell them Elon is the place to be.”
According to Koster, it’s not just baseball. It’s the overall experience as a student.
“The people here are awesome,” Koster said. “(At Elon) you have a great time. You come here and have a good time and meet new people and make really good friends.”
Koster knows his time is short at Elon, but according to Kennedy, he’s been nothing but valuable to the baseball program over the last two years.
“He plays all over,” Kennedy said. “So he really frees up our lineup.”
In his career, Koster played both infield and outfield for the Phoenix, but it’s more than just his abilities in the field. Koster has developed into one of the better hitters on the team. This season, he leads the Phoenix in home runs with 11 and RBIs with 34. Kennedy said one of his favorite things about Koster is watching him hit a baseball.
“When he really gets a hold of a baseball, he hits it a really long way,” Kennedy laughed. “He’s got four or five of those that really stick out. He can hit it a long way and they’re fun to watch when he gets a hold of them.”
As well as growing as a baseball player, Kennedy said Koster has shown an immense amount of emotional maturity that has propelled Koster to a leadership role on the baseball team in just his second year at Elon.
“When he got here he struggled a bit, but he’s really grown,” Kennedy said. “He’s grown so much to where we made him a team captain. The way he’s grown has been tremendous and this is a kid that’s only going in the right direction.”