Purdue HHS baseball student-athletes talk ‘America’s Pastime’

Joe Trenerry, a pitcher for the Purdue University baseball team, said baseball’s history, atmosphere and action still make the sport “America’s Pastime.”

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

This article is one in a series of America250 stories showcasing Boilermakers contributing to some of America’s most popular pastimes.

The crack of the bat. The snap of a 95-mph fastball hitting the catcher’s mitt. The taste of a hot dog and ice-cold beverage under a clear summer sky. These are some of the ingredients that helped make baseball “America’s pastime” for more than 100 years.

But with the rise of professional and NCAA football and basketball, baseball in America has stiff competition. A 2023 Gallup poll asked, “What is your favorite sport to watch?” The overwhelming response was football (41%) with basketball (10%) edging out baseball (9%) for second place. In the same year, Pew Research Center polled 12,000 U.S. adults on what they thought was “America’s sport.” Again, football dominated (53%), but baseball fared better by finishing second (27%) while basketball ranked third (8%).

Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) student-athletes on the Boilermaker baseball team make a strong case that not every poll is absolute.

“I don’t think there’s another game that’ll ever come close to the rich history that baseball has to offer,” said Joe Trenerry, a sophomore selling and sales management major within the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. “I think it’s pretty easy to fall in love with baseball. I can go to the ballpark, grab a beverage or a hot dog, and go with my friends or family and enjoy.”

The Boilermakers are rounding out a home run of a season — 35-18 overall, 18-12 in the Big Ten. Purdue stands tied for fifth in the conference.

HHS baseball players are looking to finish their season strong, and all of them hope to extend their careers into professional ball after their Purdue careers cross home plate. Whether it’s West Lafayette or a Major League Baseball stadium someday, their passion for “America’s pastime” will be lifelong. “Play ball!”

Eli Anderson grew up playing football, hockey and baseball in Minnesota but the selling and sales management major chose baseball and he still believes it is “America’s game.”(Tim Brouk)

‘Still America’s game’

Eli Anderson, a senior outfielder for the Boilermakers and selling and sales management major, played baseball, football and hockey while growing up in Fairmont, Minnesota. The competition and athleticism in football and hockey were appealing, but baseball had X-factors that go beyond the actual game.

“It’s still America’s game,” Anderson said. “There’s just something about being able to play in different kinds of weather, different kinds of stadiums. There’s no one stadium that’s the same. Everything is just kind of different. It all makes it pretty cool in the end.”

And then there’s the sentimentality and nostalgia of growing up around baseball and rooting for the home team.

“My dad always said when I was born that he would hold me up to the TV and watch the (Minnesota) Twins games. So, I guess kind of from birth, I’ve really been watching the Twins,” Anderson reminisced. “But baseball in general, it’s been in my family for three generations now and could be four or five. It’s just always been my thing, and I’ve always loved it.”

Aaron Manias fell in love with baseball while growing up near Toronto, Canada. He has slugged nine home runs for the Boilermakers so far this season.(Tim Brouk)

A Canadian perspective

Aaron Manias, another selling and sales management senior, acknowledged that baseball may not be as fast of a sport as hockey, which he also played growing up, but it’s a sport where each move, each pitch has meaning.

“When you’re playing baseball, anything can happen on any pitch. And that’s the fun part about it,” explained Manias, who has slugged nine home runs so far this season.

Manias said baseball is still America’s game, but it has grown internationally. Growing up around Toronto, baseball was everywhere, thanks to the success of the Blue Jays. The team competed in the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a franchise led by numerous international players.

“They broke records for viewership,” Manias said. “I think more people are starting to really enjoy the little things and the nuances of baseball, and it’s making it grow (internationally) for sure.”

Kinesiology enhancement

Quincy Malbrough, a junior studying in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, said baseball’s unique nature as a “game of failure” can give student-athletes like him the best opportunity to grow. If a batter only gets hits 30% of the time, it doesn’t make him a failure — it makes him an all-star because a batting average of .300 is considered high-level in the sport.

Malbrough only must look to his major for performance assistance. The right-handed outfielder implements content he has learned in kinesiology courses on the field. For instance, throwing hundreds of feet from the outfield would blow out an arm quickly if proper biomechanics were not involved.

“There is a lot of force. It’s not a natural movement, and a lot of studies focus on the torque that’s created when you throw from the outfield or just throw as a pitcher in general,” Malbrough said. “That is the reason I chose kinesiology as my major from the start — I wanted to find a way to improve my own body, to be able to perform at the highest level. I’ve taken some nutrition classes, and I’ve taken physics classes. I’m just looking forward to how I can better the athlete.”

Players who engage in hard throwing must take good care of their arms through shoulder and rotator cuff strengthening. They work on the back, specifically the lat muscles, to create strong support for each throw to the infield in hopes to gun down that runner attempting an extra base.

As he looks around Alexander Field, home of Boilermaker baseball, Malbrough said baseball can still captivate America. He and his teammates have been doing their part with a successful season, thrilling fans in the stands with timely hits, powerful pitching and sharp defense.

“It’s just an easy sport to love,” Malbrough added. “It’s kind of unreal just to be here. … This has been a great year for Purdue baseball.”

Quincy Malbrough uses biomechanics lessons he learns in his Department of Health and Kinesiology courses to help his throws from the outfield to the infield while avoiding shoulder and arm injuries.(Tim Brouk)