Q&A With Erik Ammon
Erik Ammon played three seasons for the Beavers, appearing in 63 games. He started 30, including 15 as a senior, and batted .236 with 13 RBI. He came to Oregon State as a sophomore after playing his freshman season at Hawaii. The Salem native was one of nine seniors honored at Senior Day May 25. In his three seasons with the Beavers, Ammon won two national titles, made two trips to Omaha, won one Pac-10 title and was part of a program that won 127 games, including a school-record 50 in 2006.
Ammon recently sat down with to reflect on his Oregon State career.
OSU: What do you think of when you think of your tenure here at Oregon State?
Erik Ammon: “What do I think of? Wow, that’s a tough question, but I think it would have to be the guys on the team. The guys I’ve played with and the guys I’ve gotten to know. The friendships we’ve been able to build, even though not everyone has been here as long as me, you get pretty close with your teammates because you go to battle on the field. That’s something that I’ll never forget.”
OSU: You were fortunate to win two national titles during your tenure here. Can you put it into words how that feels?
EA: “No. I’m in my room right now and I’m looking around and I’ve got two pictures from the two trips to Omaha, stuff taken off the dugout walks from Omaha ... I have a picture with the President. All of that is done because of those friendships we built. It’s something, you know, I don’t even know. It’s incredible. Not everybody even gets the chance to go to Omaha once. I’ve been there twice and won two championships. It’s just unbelievable.”
OSU: What was the decision like to transfer to Oregon State from Hawaii after your freshman season?
EA: “If I knew then what I now, if it was one of those things, it would have been a lot easier. If I had known going into to the transfer that I was going to win two national titles, it would have been a lot smoother. Of course, it was tough leaving a place like Hawaii. I loved it there. It was absolutely amazing. Every bit of it, from the school to the fans to the coaching staff, but it was a decision to make and I needed to make that call to be back in my home state. It was just what I needed to do at the time and that’s what got me through it. It was a struggle but looking back on it, there’s nothing I would have changed at all.”
OSU: How nice was it being able to play so close to your hometown of Salem?
EA: “I was real fortunate, but I was also on the complete flip side of that, playing 3,000 miles across an ocean for a year. That was a real tough year. I was still able to see my family every now and then but it just wasn’t the same as it was here. That was kind of the force to my transfer. Just being able to be that close to my family was pretty much No. 1 on my list. I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity here.”
OSU: Outside of the titles, what stands out the most about Oregon State to you? What will you always remember?
EA: “The bus rides, and the road trips. Just being able to sit with the guys and hang out. Of course, as student-athletes, we always had homework to do, but on the road, it was just a blast. It was nice to get away and be with the guys and be able to play ball. That’s when those relationships were really built. When you travel, you get to see guys away from the field more, even if it was just playing cards at the back of the bus.”
OSU: Are you going to miss studying in the airport before a flight?
EA: “That’s something that’s never going to stop. I’m trying to get into the strength and conditioning field and things are always going to be changing. I’m sure I’ll always be studying on something.”
OSU: What did Coach Casey and the rest of the coaching staff mean to you, not only as a player, but as a person?
EA: “That’s what Coach Casey was always talking about, that winning was going to take care of itself, but ‘what I’m trying to do here is develop you guys into men,’ he’d say. He wanted to turn us into men so when push came to shove, we were going to be able to stand our ground and go out into society and contribute. He really works for that. He does everything in his power to develop everyone who comes through Oregon State. He’s that kind of a man. I can’t say enough about those guys, each and every one of them for what they’ve done and their contributions.”
OSU: How do you want to be remembered by the Oregon State fans?
EA: “I want them to remember me as a kid who just played the game hard. I want them to know I had fun. When it comes down to it, I want them to know I played the game hard and played the game right. More importantly, I’d rather have them remember me as a guy who was a team guy. I was always doing my best to help the team win. That was the most important thing to me. If someone remembers me like that, then it tells me I did my job here.”
