SAN BERNARDINO — As the Coyote baseball squad rotated stations at practice, Brent Planck hustled into the locker room and emerged in catcher's gear. Normally a third baseman, he looked at the mitt on his left hand and opened and closed it as he got used to the different feel.
“I haven't caught in a long time,” Planck said. “But we're short catchers and they may need me to fill in.”
He isn't rattled by this last-minute assignment.
“Life throws stuff at you and you have to embrace it, build on the experience,” he said. “I'm versatile defensively, which is a strength in my view. I enjoy the diversity.”
For Planck, twice honored with the title of Coyote Athletics Department Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, diversity is an understatement.
As a baseball player, Planck has a .983 fielding percentage with 30 assists, three double plays and only one error with a .305 batting average. His athletic skill earned him an all-CCAA honorable mention in 2008.
As a student, he received his bachelor's degree in business management at CSUSB last spring with high honors and maintains a 3.9 GPA as he pursues his master's degree in the same subject. His dedication in the classroom earned him CCAA All-Academic honors in 2008 and 2009.
Dr. Kristie Ogilvie recognized Planck's academic skill in one of her business grad classes last fall and hired him as an assistant.
“He was one of only two people to get an A in the class, so I approached him about being a research assistant for me,” she said. “He's independent and his work is solid. I can't say enough about him.”
Last fall, Planck had an opportunity to combine his baseball and academic skills to win $4,000 in an entrepreneurship contest. He came up with an idea for a Facebook-like internet site for online athlete recruitment and presented it in his entrepreneurship class. Dr. Mike Stull was so impressed with the concept that he encouraged Planck to pitch it in the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship's Student Fast Pitch Competition. He was chosen as one of the five finalists and nailed his presentation in the final round to earn the top prize.
Planck credited the experience with opening his mind to new possibilities.
“It was my greatest school experience,” said Planck. “The chance to develop an idea into a feasible thing was something special.”
Planck also finds time to mentor students at Belvedere Elementary School in Highland. He and some of his teammates hang out with the kids one day each week and talk. At first, they didn't say much according to Planck, but now they ask a lot of questions about college. Some even see college as a possibility for the first time in their lives. He feels good about what he and his teammates have accomplished as role models.
Though Planck has been recognized for his abilities in many different areas, it's his leadership skills that carry across them all.
“People always tell me they see leadership qualities in me and I take joy in that,” said Planck. Those around him agreed. “He's one of the few guys allowed to bring the team together to talk without a coach there,” said Coyote baseball coach, Don Parnell. “He's not the scream-and-yell type, he just talks. I can see him being a real leader in business.”
Dr. Ogilvie said it is his quiet leadership style that makes him so effective. “He's a leader, but he's not overbearing or intimidating so he gets along very well with his peers,” she said.
“He's very much a leader,” added teammate Kyle Davis. “Many times he's lit a fire under our feet and got us going. He comes through for us in one way or another in every game. We all look up to him as an individual in baseball and as a person.”
In his final year of eligibility, Planck admits that while making the major leagues isn't impossible, it is a long shot. However, he just can't accept the idea of not playing baseball and is considering taking a shot at a European pro league.
“You only have a small window in life to play baseball, and I want to play until someone tells me I can't do it anymore,” he said.
Another option Planck is considering is coming back to the Coyotes as an assistant coach next season while he finishes up his degree.
“Some others do have the skill to make it and I can help,” said Planck. “I enjoy seeing young guys have success.”
When asked which way he would go if he had to choose between baseball and business, Planck smiled and looked off in the distance for a few seconds.
“I could do both,” he responded. “I can blaze my own trail and still find a way.”
Planck and the Coyotes are coming down the home stretch of their regular season and host Cal Poly Pomona, San Francisco State, Cal State East Bay and Grand Canyon in the final four weeks of the 2010 season.
