Seniors accept role, responsibility

Senioritis occurs when someone is close to graduating, and sometimes, they fail to turn in their work and lose motivation. Batting more than .330 with eight home runs and 68 RBIs combined, seniors Dan Haegele and Blake St. Clair don't have the time to worry about catching the mental laziness that plagues seniors around this time of the year. They'll be busy playing the top-ranked team in the Big Ten during graduation ceremonies Saturday.\nSt. Clair and Haegele are two of the six seniors graduating from the baseball team, and coach Bob Morgan said that it's fitting that the two standouts are playing their final home game against Ohio State because both are from the Buckeye state. \n"It would be sweeter for them if we could knock them off of the top of the conference," Morgan said. \nHe said the two are part of a group that has contributed greatly to IU baseball.\n"We have some guys that have all contributed," Morgan said. "They are some good kids, and they've all worked hard."\nMorgan also stressed the importance of having leadership in every aspect of life and not just on the field.\n"Blake is a good leader and Haegele is a vocal leader," Morgan said. "Each are good leaders in their own way."\nHaegele came to IU as a highly touted recruit after being named All-League, All-District and All-State at Westerville High School in Westerville, Ohio. He was also named player of the year in his district and was a preseason high school All-American. \nAs a Hoosier, Haegele was an honorable mention freshman All-American, third-team All-Big Ten his sophomore year and was named academic Big Ten last season. Haegele is in the school top 10 for runs, hits, stolen bases, games played and at-bats. \nWhile Haegele said he wishes the team could have put together the type of season he feels they were capable of, he is reluctant to see the experience come to an end.\n"It's sad, because of the friendships you've made," Haegele said. "You spend nine out of 12 months together with the same guys."\nHaegele said being a senior isn't as easy as one might think, especially when the season isn't going as well as he would have hoped. It also leaves little room for senioritis.\n"People look to you for support knowing that you've been there," Haegele said. "I think that Blake and I have done a good job trying to keep everything together."\nSt. Clair agreed and said leadership just comes with the territory.\n"You automatically take the burden of the leadership role," St. Clair said. "The young kids are looking up to me."\nLike Haegele, St. Clair was another big-time recruit for the state of Ohio. He was named first-team All-Mizuno and TPX All-American, and was a two-time member of the first-team All-Ohio squad, Springfield player of the year, three-time all-Springfield, Dayton area and Central Buckeye Conference teams.\nDuring his sophomore year at IU, he was fourth on the team with a .346 batting average and collected eight home runs and 40 RBIs, and also had a 14-game hitting streak. Last season, he led the Hoosiers in home runs and was third on the team with nine doubles. \nSt. Clair said he could see his progression as a player through the years, making him happy with his choice of attending and playing ball at IU.\n"Looking back, I would do the same thing over again as far as picking IU to get an education and play ball," St. Clair said. "I've progressed and gotten the best out of my abilities. I'm happy where I'm at"