Football players at Michigan State waited with anticipation back in February as to who their new football coach would be.
Adam Berghorst not only wondered who the new coach would be, but how that coach would feel about him playing baseball as well as football.
Fortunately for Berghorst, Mel Tucker was on board.
"I was definitely concerned right away," Berghorst who just completed his freshman year said. "But right away coach Tuck was telling me that he has had a few guys do it before and his dad actually did both at Toledo and was really successful there so I was really nervous at first but glad it all worked out."
Berghorst was pleased with year one doing both sports. He said it was a great opportunity but it did have some challenges.
"As soon as the bowl prep started and baseball season that is when it really got to be the busiest," Berghorst said. "Because at that point I was doing both. Football in the morning and baseball in the afternoon."
The Pinestripe Bowl in December turned out to be a fun time for Berghorst.
He had transitioned from defensive end to tight end midway through the season because of injuries at that position and ended up playing in five games which meant that he would not redshirt.
Berghorst played a season-high 28 snaps in the 27-21 bowl win over Wake Forest.
"It was super cool especially being a baseball guy," Berghorst said. "Yankee Stadium and just that whole week in New York we got to see a lot of cool things but it was a really good bowl, we got treated really well and it was just awesome to get the win."
He was able to throw the baseball enough during the fall to have his arm in shape when baseball started. He posted a 1.17 earned run average in six appearances on the mound before the season was canceled.
"I was fourth or fifth in innings on the team so I was coming out of the bullpen to start which was really cool," Berghorst said. "Played in a lot of big games and big stadiums which was cool but I think my arm and the whole program worked out for me to get up to speed with everyone else."
It is hard to say for sure what college athletics will look like next school year, but Berghorst is confident in the way he is handling the two sports moving forward.
"The few conversations I've had with coach Tucker it sounds like maybe the spring could be a little more baseball than it was football and during the fall probably mainly football," Berghorst said. "But honestly I think the plan we had so far and how it went the first year it was really well."
Berghorst said the plan for football is for him to remain at tight end for the fall.
