CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight (August 2020)
Each month, the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) will highlight the accomplishments of a conference student-athlete. This month, we look into the career of Wheaton baseball student-athlete Sam Reichert.

Story by Mike Krizman, CCIW Assistant Executive Director

WHEATON, Ill. – "Perseverant" would be an appropriate adjective to describe Wheaton senior catcher Sam Reichert.
 
A slew of injuries during his sophomore year caused him to miss most of the 2018 baseball season.

A sprained wrist knocked him out for almost a month. He returned to play in three games, but then a strange turn of events caused Reichert to miss the remainder of the season.
 
“I had poor circulation in my index finger while I was catching,” Reichert said. “I wasn’t getting blood flow, so my finger would turn white and then it would turn blue because it wasn’t getting oxygenated blood.”
 
After several doctor visits and still no answers, Reichert began hearing uncertainty over his future in collegiate baseball.
 
“It was a very uncertain time,” he said. “The doctors didn’t know if I would ever be able to return, but my teammates were very supportive and so were the trainers and coaches at Wheaton. They really helped get me through a difficult time.”
 
Doctors eventually discovered that a spasm in the finger caused damage to a vein and restricted blood flow. A BOTOX injection was the last option before surgery, and that procedure continued the uncertainty.
 
“There was a long period of time where I didn’t know if the treatment was going to work or not,” Reichert said. “It took about a month-and-a-half, but the treatment worked and to this day, everything has been fine.”
 
Reichert returned to the Thunder during his junior year and had one of his best seasons. He started 28 games, batted .302 with five doubles, three runs and 20 RBIs during the 2019 season. The Thunder finished tied for third and advanced to the 2019 CCIW Baseball Tournament. 
 
Before his senior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Reichert appeared in all seven games as the Thunder started off 6-1. He led the team in batting average (.593), RBIs (13), home runs (2), doubles (4), hits (16), slugging percentage (1.037), and on base percentage (.647).
 
Reichert was named the CCIW Hitter of the Week for the first time in his career on March 17, 2020.

"I think that Sam‘s injuries in the 2018 season shaped him as far as perseverance and added fuel to his drive to play this game," Wheaton head baseball coach Matt Husted said. "I think he also has a different appreciation for getting to play since there was a chance that he might not have that opportunity again. He came out of that season with a real urgency that I don’t believe was there before."
 
A Political Science major, Reichert plans to compete for the Thunder next spring while taking his final class in order to graduate. He currently coaches youth travel baseball and works at a baseball academy conducting clinics.
 
Following graduation, Reichert will look to fulfill a family legacy by applying for officer candidate school in the military, preferably in the Marines.
 
“Both of my grandpas were part of the military, so that’s where my interest in serving comes in,” he said. “The idea of service is so important to me. Also, the military provides so many opportunities to be a leader.
 
“There’s things I need to improve about myself regarding leadership,” Reichert continued. The Marines are building a community of leaders and they want you to grow as a leader. That’s a big reason why I want to pursue this course.”

"Sam has a quiet confidence about him and a real relatability," Husted said of his senior catcher. "Guys really trust him and he has been a great leader in our program. His consistency and relentless work ethic Is something that others in our program strive to keep up with."
 
Reichert took advantage of several opportunities to serve while as a member of the Thunder baseball program. Along with participating in Habitat for Humanity projects with his Wheaton teammates, Reichert and the Thunder student-athletes also traveled to Central and South America for service-related initatives. 
 
In Columbia, he and his teammates assisted in cleaning a mountain road from mudslide damage and passed out food and supplies to refugees from Venezuela. In Cuba, the Thunder players conducted baseball clinics for local children.
 
Reichert said that he will look back fondly on his time as a student-athlete, not just for the experience of playing the sport he loves, but for the relationships built during that time.
 
“I’ve loved every second of my time at Wheaton,” he said. “During my freshman year, the seniors reached out and made me feel welcome and each class has continued to make things better for each incoming class. Each group of seniors shows tremendous leadership and Coach Husted sets such a positive tone and high standards. He wants everyone to be on the same playing field.”

CCIW Student-Athlete Spotlight
Sam Reichert - Wheaton (September 2020)
Favor Ezewuzie - Wheaton (August 2020)
Ellie Manderfeld - North Park (July 2020)
Izaiah Webb - North Central (June 2020)
Tori Stuart - Millikin (May 2020)
Skylar LeVine - Illinois Wesleyan (April 2020)
Emily Clausen - Elmhurst (March 2020)
Colton Klein - Carthage (February 2020)
Michaela Johnson - Carroll (January 2020)
Luke Sawicki - Augustana (December 2019)
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL).