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Back On The Mound
For The Broncos
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
G
abe Berman has nerves of steel
when he’s on the mound pitch-
ing for the Western Michigan
University baseball team.
The Bloomfield Hills Andover High
School graduate has 21 saves in his
Western Michigan career, the most in
school history. He reached the top of the
Broncos’ saves list in only three seasons.
“Gabe is ultra-competitive, a high-ener-
gy guy, and he has a short memory,” said
Western Michigan coach Billy Gernon,
ticking off three of the prime necessities
for a closer.
It’s cruelly ironic that Berman had to
sit out the 2016 season — which was sup-
posed to be his senior season — because
of an off-season nerve injury in his neck
that was unrelated to baseball. Time was
needed for the injury to heal properly.
Berman is back. The 6-foot-2, 215-
pound right-hander has returned to the
Western Michigan roster as a red-shirt
senior.
He’ll begin the season in the Broncos’
starting rotation. He’s never started a
game for Western Michigan.
All 66 of his collegiate appearances
have been in relief. He’s struck out 100 and
allowed only 89 hits in nearly 100 innings,
given up just two home runs, and has a
career ERA of 2.80 along with a 7-7 record.
Berman isn’t fazed by the change from
reliever to starter.
“I came to Western Michigan to be a
pitcher. I’ll pitch wherever the team needs
me, wherever I’m needed to win games,”
he said.
The Broncos will open the season with
a Feb. 17-19 trip to Atlanta, Ga. Berman
is expected to start one of Western
Michigan’s three games, either against
Kennesaw State, Georgia State or Georgia
Tech.
If starting doesn’t work out, Berman
will return to the bullpen. It could be his
choice. “Gabe has earned the right to
make that decision,” Gernon said.
Last season was filled with
mates helped him push through
ABOVE:
mixed emotions for Berman.
the tough times.
Gabe Berman has
He could only watch as
“I wanted to motivate my
a school record 21
his teammates won the Mid-
saves in his Western ‘brothers’ and get them to per-
Michigan University form at their highest level,” he
American Conference tourna-
baseball career.
ment despite coming into the
said.
competition as the No. 7 seed.
Gernon said Berman also used
It was the first time the
last season to take his academics
Broncos won the tournament, which gave to a new level. Berman will graduate in
them a berth in the NCAA tournament.
May with a bachelor’s degree in business
“It was painful being on the outside
management.
looking in all season,” Berman said.
An elbow injury that ended Berman’s
The pain stayed inside him. Gernon
junior season prematurely in 2015 and sit-
said Berman was the team’s No. 1 cheer-
ting out last season took Berman off the
leader and a valued mentor to young
radar of scouts for Major League Baseball
players.
teams.
“Gabe didn’t play, but he was an inte-
Now that the 22-year-old Bloomfield
gral part of our team,” Gernon said. “He
Hills resident is healthy again, he’s hoping
faced adversity and rose to the occasion.
he’ll be drafted by a Major League team
To be honest, I don’t know how he did it.
in June. Gernon is confident that will hap-
I’ve always had a tremendous amount of
pen. •
respect for Gabe and he took that respect
Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.
to another level last season.”
Berman said encouraging his team-
Join the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC and
the Michigan Muslim Community Council
for a special dialogue between
Wayne State University Professors Howard Lupovitch and Saeed Khan
A Shared Future:
American Xenophobia –
Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
Presented on the following dates at these three venues:
February 15, 2017
7 p.m.
March 1, 2017
7 p.m.
March 22, 2017
7 p.m.
The Muslim Unity Center
1830 Square Lake Road
Bloomfield Hills
Adat Shalom Synagogue
29901 Middlebelt Road
Farmington Hills
Wayne State University
Community Room 3210
David Adamany
Undergraduate Library
5150 Anthony Wayne Dr.
Detroit
')&)$.!##&##&./**)+)'+!&%1No Charge
Advance registration is required | Register at: asharedfuture.eventbrite.com
For additional information contact Corey Young, young@jfmd.org .
A Shared Future is generously sponsored by the Ravitz Foundation
26
February 9 • 2017
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