Q&A With Lonnie Lechelt
Lonnie Lechelt spent four seasons at Oregon State, and when he was honored on May 25 prior to the game against Pacific, was the only senior with four letters. He played in 133 games during his tenure at Oregon State, starting 78. He had perhaps his most successful season in 2008, when, playing in 44 games, he batted .287 with five home runs, 33 RBI, a team-leading four triples and a .530 slugging percentage. He was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for the first time in his career April 22 after hitting a home run to go along with seven RBI in the three-game series at Arizona State. Lechelt concluded his career with nine home runs and 49 RBI. He was recently drafted in the 21st round by Florida in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Lechelt recently sat down with to reflect on his Oregon State career.
OSU: What comes to mind when you think of your tenure at Oregon State?
Lonnie Lechelt: “Championships, you could say. The first thing I obviously think of is all the rage from the two National Championships and right when I got here with the two Pac-10 Championships. When I first got here, Oregon State was kind of in the middle of the road, being in sixth place. Then we got a couple of good recruiting classes and we started winning a lot of games and going to Omaha. Omaha is just an unbelievable thing that I will never forget. That is what I came here to experience.”
OSU: During your four years here, you have two Pac-10 rings, two National Championship rings and another trip to Omaha. How special to know that you have done what very few players ever get to do?
LL: “That is something I will always remember, when I am 40, 50 years old. I will be able to look back on all the special things we did when we were in college and sometimes when we do those things, like going to Omaha, it doesn’t really set in until years down the road. I am just blessed to be able to do that. I have a lot of friends from WSU and UofW who are never going to experience something like that. I know talking with those kinds of people, they would do anything to go to Omaha once. I have three years experience at going to Omaha and I am just grateful for those opportunities.”
OSU: How special is it to just play collegiate baseball?
LL: “Every time I go back home and meet up with the friends I used to play with, they kind of look up to you and wish they could be in that situation. That is a motivator to me and know I can’t give up. I know there are millions of people that would have loved to be in my shoes and be here playing at a Pac-10 school. That type of motivation is the kind that makes you keep working hard.”
OSU: Even a year later, has it really set in that you won a National Championship?
LL: “Some days a little more than others, but it really doesn’t set in. Maybe a few years down the road and when I am older and on my way to what I am doing with my career, I’ll look back and think about that championship and look at my ring. It will mean more and be more special to me when I get older.”
OSU: You were one of nine guys to be recognized as a senior this year. How does that feel?
LL: “I will never forget my four years of college. College is supposed to be the best years of your life, and they definitely were. Just playing with these guys and new guys coming every year, there is nothing like it being on a baseball team, especially a winning team that goes to Omaha. I’ll never forget any of these guys. I am sure I will stay in touch with many of them.”
OSU: What advice would you give freshman to be successful?
LL: “Never let people forget the feeling that we have when we went at 8:30 in the morning and watched that selection show this year. Just never forget that, and it was especially worse for me. It was my senior year and being in Omaha three years in a row and then not making it was a little heart breaking. So I would just tell them to remember that feeling and to work hard from day one; never take a day off.”
OSU: What did the coaching staff mean to you off the field as a person?
LL: “Coach Casey is real big on that. He’s been preaching that and telling us that since we got here. He is here building men and I think he has done a good job of that. Just getting us to compete, and be competitive was successful. He has really developed me as a total overall person.”
OSU: What do you want OSU fans to remember you by?
LL: “As someone who scrapped and did what he could and tried to make everything out of every opportunity. As someone who came in and fought for all the playing time that he got all four years. I had to fight and battle all four years, I was never the guy, so I want to be remembered as someone who just really fought for everything that he got. I gave it my all and came out to be a winner for the years I was here.”
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