By Drew Gadaire and Don Leypoldt

NECBL alumni have won some impressive awards.

They have been All-Americans and College World Series champions.  They have won Rookies of the Year, the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year and Silver Sluggers.  They have been named All-Stars at every level of baseball.

It’s time to add Drew Gadaire to that list.

From a baseball standpoint, Davidson’s Gadaire could more than hold his own against top college competition.  The outfielder who grew up in the shadows of the University of Florida won Davidson’s triple crown as a junior and led the Wildcats in average and RBI as a senior.

Gadaire hit .322 or better during his last three collegiate seasons.  The one season he didn’t- his freshman year when he still hit .289- he socked 11 homers. 

As a North Adams SteepleCat in 2011, Gadaire was one of just four NECBL players to steal eight bases and hit nine or more doubles during that summer.   

Yet Gadaire, a member of his high school’s National Honor Society, really shined off the field.  A psychology major with a penchant for languages, Gadaire was able to do something in his college career that is extremely rare for an elite Division I ballplayer- study abroad.  He spent part of his senior year in Morocco studying Arabic and doing charity work.

Because of his complete package inside and outside of the foul lines, Gadaire won the TD Ameritrade’s Fan’s Choice Award” this past June.  He was presented with the award on July 3rd, at the College Home Run Derby in Omaha.

Per Davidson’s website, the Award “goes beyond the stat sheet to honor and recognize college baseball players who are positive role models both on and off the field, exemplifying core values like teamwork and integrity, as well as the drive to win.

“Gadaire, a senior co-captain, had a solid year on the field, batting over .300 with an on-base percentage of more than .400, but his accomplishments extend off the field as well. Earlier in the year, he spent time in Fez, Morocco, as a recipient of the Dean Rusk Language Grant.  Gadaire studied Arabic with a native Moroccan tutor and volunteered at a local shelter for underprivileged boys. He is studying Psychology at Davidson and is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council.”

After graduating in May, Gadaire took leave from homers to live near Homer.  The ex-SteepleCat’s personal odyssey currently has him in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece working at a high school this academic year.  Gadaire recently took some time out to swap emails on his time in the NECBL as well as his foreign travels. 

NECBL.com: What stands out about your time in North Adams?
Drew Gadaire: “I have a lot of great memories from my time in North Adams. First of all, I had a great host family. Tom and Pat Decker treated Trent Franzago and me as if we were their own kids. We also had a great group of guys who were fun to be around on and off the field. ‘Steeple-ball’ is the term we used to describe our style of play when things were going well. When you drove in a run or stole a base, or pretty much did anything well, you would put your hands together over your head and make a steeple. The guys in the dugout returned the signal to you and eventually we had all of the fans doing it as well.

“One of my favorite memories was during a tough game. I came around to score our first run in the 8th or 9th inning. When I crossed the plate I put my hands over my head and looked up to see all of the fans giving the signal back to me. We had great fans who really wanted to win but continued to come out and support us even though we did not have the most successful season. I wish we could have won a few more games that summer but I still enjoyed my time in North Adams and the NECBL. The team took great care of us and the level of baseball in the league was great.”

NECBL.com How did you get your current job in Greece and what do you do?
DG: “I am currently working at an American high school in Thessaloniki, Greece. I am a Resident Advisor in a dorm with about 40 students, 7th-12th grade, from all around Greece. There are also a few students from Bulgaria and one from Jordan. My main job is to interact with the kids and help them expand their knowledge of the English language and American culture. I am able to help them with their homework and talk to them about what universities they might want to attend since the majority of them want to study in the U.S.A. 

“As the dorm advisor, I am also responsible for making sure the kids follow the rules of the dorm and stay on top of their school work. I also substitute teach English classes for 1-5 hours per week, and I am running an American Sports Club for 7th-9th graders. We spent most of the Fall playing American football which was a ton of fun. It took a few weeks to get them to really understand the rules but I think they've really enjoyed the game. My schedule is also pretty flexible which has allowed me to do a lot of traveling around Greece and the rest of Europe.  That has been a great experience so far. I have seen so many interesting places and met so many cool people from all around the world.

“I got this job fellowship through Career Services at Davidson College. When graduation was approaching I was very unsure about what I wanted to do going forward. I needed a break from school and I definitely wasn't ready to have a ‘real’ job. So this was an opportunity for me to go on a year-long adventure in Europe. I've been here for almost five months now and it has been a great experience so far.”

NECBL.com In a paragraph or two, how did you end up in Morocco?  Can you add another paragraph on your charity work?
DG: “My senior year I took an Introductory Arabic class because my girlfriend told me that the professor was outstanding. I really enjoyed the class.  Midway through the semester, my professor suggested that I apply for a grant to study abroad over winter break. I had never been out of the United States and I always wanted to study abroad, but with baseball being a year-round commitment I never thought I would get the chance go.  Davidson is very committed to providing study abroad opportunities so my girlfriend and I each wrote up a proposal about what we wanted to do and how much it would cost.  Davidson made it possible.

“We lived in Fez for three weeks, which is one of the more traditional Arabic cities in Morocco. I took 15 hours of tutoring per week there at an American school, volunteered at a boys shelter, and got to do some traveling in Morocco, which was a great introduction to the Islamic world. It was a great educational experience for me to get to know some of the people who lived in such a different culture. There are obviously many cultural differences but in the end, I think the most important thing that I learned was that the people were really not that different from me. Despite the differences in language, religion and culture, the people were still friendly, very interested in getting to know me, and always willing to help if there was ever anything that I needed. It's a cliché, but it really was a life-changing experience. That trip completely opened up the world to me and there is no way I would be in Greece today if I had not gone to Morocco then.

“While I was there we had the opportunity to volunteer at a boys shelter. Some boys lived in this shelter permanently while others just came for four or five hours after school because there were problems in their homes. The boys took classes in the shelter but I think the mission of the employees was more about giving them the skills they needed to get by as adults. The director told me that their goal was to integrate the kids into the Moroccan family. While I was there we did a bunch of different activities like arts and crafts and played games outside. The language barrier there was huge. We couldn't communicate much more than just the basics like ‘what is your name?’ and ‘where are you from?’ My favorite part was playing soccer because it was pretty easy to figure out what they were trying to tell me. The kids were great and I think they enjoyed having some new people to play with. The two men in charge also did a really good job of creating a fun atmosphere.”

Former North Adams GM and current NECBL Commissioner Sean McGrath: “The SteepleCats were fortunate to have Drew a part of the organization and community.  He is obviously very talented on the baseball field, which he demonstrated to all of the NECBL when he earned an All-Star appearance.  Drew was a coaches’ dream, because he would do anything asked of him and would give 100% all the time.  He wasn't a vocal leader, but he certainly led by example and he respected the game and his opportunity.  Drew was mature beyond his years.

"I can't be happier for Drew to learn of his life after the NECBL.  He is an outstanding individual--one of the best--and he’ll make a positive impact to whomever he comes in contact with.  To hear him being selfless and helping others doesn't surprise me at all, because that is who Drew is as a person.  We wish him all the best and are so fortunate that he was a part of the SteepleCats community and NECBL in 2011.”

NECBL.com: What is the Fan’s Choice Award?
DG: “I was told that the award was designed to go to a player showed good character on and off the field along with solid play. The site was open for 5-6 weeks and people could go online and vote once per day. For the last three weeks or so, Eric Phillips (shortstop at Georgia Southern) and I were going back in forth between first and second place. My friends told me that on the last day, we would trade positions every 30 minutes.

“I was working at a summer camp in Charlotte and right around 1:00 my uncle called the front desk and asked to talk to me. When I answered the phone he screamed "You won! You won!" When I went back and checked my cell phone I saw that I had about 30 excited texts from friends and family congratulating me on the win. Later, I found out I only won by six votes. Every vote counted!

“Since it was so close, I asked if they would be able to fly Eric out to Omaha as well. He played in our conference so I know a lot about his talent as well as his character and he deserved it just as much as I did.  But the TD Ameritrade people decided that since it was the first year, they did not want to set a precedent of having two winners.  Later they sent a reporter out to my summer camp to do an interview and prepare a video to show at the College Homerun Derby and then they flew my friend/teammate Seth Freeman and I out to Omaha to watch the event. We got to have dinner in the president's skybox and watch the homerun derby from the field. During the derby they called me out on the field to present me the award. The entire thing was such an amazing experience. Unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

NECBL.com: What did winning the Award mean to you?
DG: “Winning this award meant a lot because it showed me how lucky I have been to have so much support from my family and friends. They were dedicated to trying to get me as many votes as possible. I can't thank them enough. Winning this award also says a lot about the communities that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. I saw posts of classmates at Davidson who I did not know particularly well saying that they had voted and asking others to vote. Davidson is a much smaller university than all of the others represented for the award so it shows how close the Davidson community is, and how students there will always support one another. I also got a lot of support from the communities where I played summer ball. I know that my host parents in North Adams were following the race and I would often get updates about announcements made at the SteepleCats games. Overall, it just made me realize the incredible support I have been given from my family and friends. I am so thankful for their support as well as the great experience I was able to have as a result.”

NECBL.com: How did you get interested in living and studying abroad?
DG: “My trip to Morocco completely changed my perspective about traveling. Before that trip, everything seemed so far away, so different, and I was pretty content to stay home. That trip made me realize that I could actually live somewhere else, make friends in another place and be happy. I feel like it's helped me learn a lot about myself as well. I've found some skills that I never knew I had. I've also met so many interesting people who have told me stories of their travels and it makes me want to keep going. There is so much out there to see. I'm so thankful to for everyone who made my Morocco trip possible and encouraged me to go. From Davidson to my parents to my girlfriend who got me to take the Arabic class in the first place.”

NECBL.com: Do you still stay involved in baseball?
DG: “At the moment the only way I am involved in baseball is through my American Sports Club.  We haven't started baseball yet but we will as soon as it gets a little warmer. It's interesting being in a place where most people don't know anything about baseball (the thing I've dedicated most of my life to). For example, on my first day here the PE coach asked me some questions about my club. One of those questions was ‘how many bases do you need to play baseball?’ I told him four and he went on to tell me that he only had one and it had a big stick in the middle (a tee). Later he showed me the gloves that he had which were all about the right size for a 6 year old. But he was so proud of them that he kept them in the plastic wrapper. So baseball club could be pretty interesting but I'm sure we'll figure something out. I also plan to keep following the Davidson team when the season comes around.”