Editor's Note:  We caught up with Lance Thonvold who is now pitching in the Seattle Mariner organization and asked him a few questions.  He was thoughtful enough to put his answers in words.  

 

Bringing the team together is something I have always felt was of the upmost importance no matter what level you are playing at. Our team chemistry with American Legion in 2010 and 2011 was very strong, and that showed up on the field. When I started at Minnesota I wanted to try and create that same type of atmosphere. Year by year our team chemistry got better and it didn't really matter if we were winning or losing we always had each others back and we were able play stress free. When you get a bunch of guys to buy in to what you are doing and play unselfish things just work better. The freedom we had at Minnesota to create the type of team atmosphere we wanted to have just isn't possible unless you have the right coaching staff in place, John Anderson, Rob Fornasiere, Todd Oakes, and Pat Casey encouraged us to be our own individual group with goals and values that matched our group of guys year by year.

 

 

Honestly this is going to sound a little weird but the best thing that could of ever happened to me was redshirting my freshman year at Minnesota. I was sidelined with a grade one elbow sprain which did not require surgery. When it first happened I was just heartbroken, I wanted to contribute so bad and help the team anyway possible. However, being able to work with the trainers that we had in place and learn more about the elbow and shoulder and how to take care of it properly has helped me immensely. Whenever I pick up a ball now to play catch or go into a game I always make sure I am properly warmed up and my arm is feeling good, once I am done I have a routine I do to make sure I feel good the next day. Without being hurt I don't think I would be as dedicated to arm care and health the way I am now. When I first got injured our pitching coach Todd Oakes challenged me while I was sidelined to try and do something everyday, whether that was running or lifting just do something everyday. I will never forget that because it made me love working out, and thats a way i try to get a leg up on my competition. 

 

I would tell kids to just listen to their coaches and try to work harder than anyone else. You have to be coachable growing up, otherwise nobody is going to want to work with you. You can learn so much by just having an open mind and keeping your ears open to any information given to you. You just never know what you might hear, and something just might click. A lot of people will tell you they "work hard," but until other people start talking about your work ethic you probably aren't working hard enough. 

 

The most difficult part about being a student-athlete is just that, doing both. You have two jobs everyday unlike most of your peers who only have one job. Your time is very important, and day in and day out you have to find time to get everything done. Having good time management skills and being able to say no to some things that your friends are doing is very important. 

 

There is always a hurdle from each level that you play at. Growing up I was on the "B" team in 8th and 9th grade and it was really hard for me to take a step back at that point, but I knew I had to do a little more to get where I wanted to be which was the Varsity team in a couple of years. I just focused on listening to my coaches and taking in any information that my older teammates had for me. As I moved from high school to college, and into professional baseball I found that my biggest asset were the ones around me. I was always intrigued by what the older guys had to say and what advice they had for me. Professional baseball is a little different because everyone is competing not only against the other team but against each other, but there is always a core group of guys to surround yourself with to learn from each others successes and failures. 

 

Next year I hope to make significant strides throughout the minor leagues. It will be my first full season so I know that will bring many challenges just because of how long the season is. However, I am very excited for my first spring training, from what I heard it is quite the experience. Being apart of the Seattle Mariners is a dream come true, I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunities that have been given to me.