WVU Baseball Players Share College World Series Stories With Middle Schoolers

Four Mountaineers, including centerfielder Armani Guzman, spoke to students at Mountaineer Middle School about hard work and resilience.

Four West Virginia baseball players visited Mountaineer Middle School in Morgantown on Monday to speak with students about hard work and perseverance. Armani Guzman, J.T. Huether, Dave Perez and Creed Erdos appeared through the K-12 speaker's bureau of the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative, which is based at WVU.

Guzan, the Mountaineers' centerfielder, recounted his steal of home against Troy in the program's first College World Series game in Omaha over the summer. It was the first steal of home in the series in 20 years. A New York City native, Guzman turned down the MLB draft to return for another season in Morgantown and pursue a sports management degree.

Each teammate touched on a different theme. Huether, a relief pitcher from Fort Myers, Florida, discussed how coaching lessons carry over to the classroom and everyday life. Erdos, a catcher and finance major from suburban Pittsburgh, was an All-State and All-Conference selection in high school and a National Honor Society inductee. Perez, a pitcher from Philadelphia, spoke about staying diligent in physical therapy as he rehabs an ACL tear suffered during the spring regional tournament.

Donna Peduto, executive director of the collaborative and a former Marion County Schools teacher and reading specialist, said the country was rooting for the team and that the players' messages would resonate with students. Mountaineer Middle student Grayson Tucker, a football wide receiver currently on crutches after an injury this season, said it was meaningful to hear from an athlete working his way back.