As the baseball season comes to a close and players get summer workout plans in order, eight Colonels will look toward their future and graduation after exhausting their eligibility.Seniors Brady Bourque, Jarret Dunnam, Stephen Gauthe, Keith Kulbeth, Josh Labiche, Adam Miley, Tyler Minto and Kevin Schlegel will have to take off their Colonel uniforms for the last time on April 22, the last game of the regular season. These seniors hope to wear their uniforms again if the Colonels are able to gain a bid to the conference tournament.

While these seniors are ending their baseball career at Nicholls, all but two have to return at least for the summer semester in order to graduate; however, all of the seniors are set to graduate by the spring of 2011.

Three Colonels plan to keep baseball a prominent part of their lives by applying for baseball coaching jobs at either the high school, junior college or college level of play and teaching, if possible. The other five plan to go into other fields, such as nursing, working in the oil industry, opening their own company and cutting grass while opening a sports bar.

While many memories were made while playing as a Colonel, all of the seniors’ best memories involved the 3-1 win against Louisiana State University or hitting a home run or grand slam in a game, sometimes winning the game for Nicholls.

Other memories made were on the embarrassing side. Three players had their most embarrassing moments tripping in a game, whether from third to home on a possible score, on the way to first from a bunt or in the dugout, ultimately getting hurt and having to sit out the rest of the season due to an injury.

Most of the seniors looked at their dads or grandfathers as their biggest influences in baseball. However, when asked about their favorite team or player in the Major Leagues, there were a variety of answers, from the Boston Red Sox to the Atlanta Braves.

One thing that remained the same was that baseball has been a big part in each senior’s life.

“Baseball is a game of failure,” Minto said. “How you handle the failure says a lot about the type of person you are.”

“I would encourage everyone to get their kids involved in the game because it teaches many life lessons and skills,” Kulbeth said.

“Baseball has driven my path of life,” Schlegel said. “Without it, I would not have met the countless buddies I now have. It has taken me all over the country to places I probably never would have been along, with giving me a college education. Baseball truly is a fraternity.”

The Colonels will have their senior game on May 16 when they take on top-seeded Texas State.