Today's student-athlete question and answer was with senior baseball hurler
Hunter Treece. Treece, a native of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania will begin his fourth season with the Lakers when the team returns to the diamond sometime this spring. He is coming off the abbreviated 2020 season tossing 5.2 innings, recording eight strikeouts and giving up just two hits while posting a 1.59 earned run average. Before coming to Mercyhurst, he attended and played baseball at Pine-Richland High School.
Mercyhurst focused questions:
What made you choose Mercyhurst? The welcoming campus and the winning culture of the baseball program.
What is your major and why did you choose it? I am a Communications major. I chose it because of my love for digital media and content creation.
What is the best thing about being at Mercyhurst? The best thing about being at Mercyhurst are the small classrooms that allow for great student-professor relationships to form.
What is your favorite sports memory so far at Mercyhurst? Winning championships are always great memories, but I will never forget the grind from winter into our spring trip. I think this is when we come together most as a team as we battle through the hardest part of the year.
Do you have any pre or post game rituals? Pre-game I like to visualize my performance. In my mind I want to have throwing a few innings before I even put a foot on the mound.
Where do you hope to stop for a post-game meal? Chipotle is our everyday road meal, but if for some reason we get to shake it up I always hope for Mission BBQ.
What is your team's focus heading into next season? Our goal is to win a national championship. After our previous seasons anything less would feel like we came up short.
Does being an athlete help you in the classroom? If so why? I would say no. I believe it makes things harder, because if it is gameday the only thing I am thinking about is striking out Gannon players.
Personal questions:
Who is your favorite athlete (current or retired)? My favorite athlete currently is either pro golfer Tiger Woods or cyclist Lance Armstrong.
What are some of your favorite ways to spend time outside of your sport? Being around nature is always a good time, so I enjoy going on hikes.
Do you have any pets? Yes, I have one dog named Fenway.
If you were able to see 20 years into the future what do you hope exists and why? I hope teleportation exists, because those 12-hour bus rides to North Carolina are the worst.
If you could play another sport what would it be and why? I would probably play hockey, because I grew up a Pittsburgh Penguins fan and love the game.
What was something you did not like as a child, but do now? Cool Ranch Doritos
Who are some of your favorite college or professional teams? I grew up watching University of Texas baseball, but mostly I am a Laker til I die.
