Riggleman promises to enjoy final regular season home date with Spring Arbor baseball
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Spring Arbor — In a sport like baseball, a consistent routine is as much a fabric of the game as red laces and white chalk.
For the better part of 40 years, when Sam Riggleman and his team hosted an opponent, he’s tried to keep the same routine each time out.
On Friday, that just may the therapeutic measure Riggleman needs.
“We’re going to go out, get the tarps off, prep the field and try to stick to the schedule,” Riggleman said Thursday night about a 2 p.m. Friday doubleheader at home against Goshen College. “I don’t feel like anything magical is going on right now.”
Maybe not magical, but certainly monumental.
The pair of games for Spring Arbor will be the final regular season home games ever for Riggleman, a Hall of Famer with the Cougars who is set to retire at the end of the season. Riggleman has been the head man at Spring Arbor since 2005, guiding the Cougars to three regular season conference championships, two conference tournament titles and five NAIA national tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2007.
“I think the routine helps,” Riggleman said with a laugh about trying not to think too much about it being the last time at home. “I think it will still be something special. To realize this is, in many ways, the capstone of all this, I’ll enjoy it. There is a nostalgic piece to this all as well.”
Riggleman’s finale was originally scheduled for Saturday, but a rain out and other scheduling conflicts pushed the milestone moment up to Friday.
“It probably hasn’t sunk in yet,” Riggleman admitted. “It’s one of those deals where you try not to get caught up in it. We’re trying to stay the course and battling for a top-four spot in the league. I haven’t thought much about it being the last one. I guess I’m still hopeful we’ll host that first-round game.”
Spring Arbor enters the doubleheader 16-20 overall, but 11-9 in the Crossroads League standings, tied with Huntington for fourth place.
The top-four teams in the final standings host opening-round games in the league’s postseason tournament.
So, in a career that’s covered 40 years and more than 1,000 wins on the diamond, maybe this is the last time at home, maybe it isn’t.
“The fact of the matter is, it’s been a great run,” Riggleman said. “And regardless of the outcome (Friday), it’s a case where I’ve been able to look at the totality of this. My wife and I decided this is the final piece in a 40-year career, and I think I’ve been able to keep that in perspective.”
Asked what his plans are after the doubleheader, Riggleman laughed, saying he and his wife are headed out of town for a short time.
“That’s probably the best thing for me,” he added.
First things first, the goal is to win Friday, and in doing so, guarantee one more finale at Burbridge Field, possibly May 7 when the tournament begins and the Cougars look to win it for a third year in a row.
None of that is guaranteed, though.
Riggleman will worry about next when next happens.
For now, his focus is on the tarp, prepping the field, having his guys ready for pregame batting practice at the designated time.
All part of the routine.
Maybe not magical, but on Friday, monumental in every way.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
