University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: Mark Campbell
Kevin Mohollen Wraps Up Outstanding Career On And Off The Diamond
5/23/2019 11:51:00 AM | Baseball
On a sunny May afternoon before Delaware baseball took the field for practice, senior center fielder Kevin Mohollen sat in an empty dugout, gazing out at the plate where he's taken hundreds of at-bats and reflecting on the very first plate appearance of his collegiate career.
"I can tell you right now, even though it was probably the worst at-bat of my career, I can still remember my first at-bat at Stetson," Mohollen said, half laughing. "I still remember when I stood in the box, I felt like my knees were knocking together."
Mohollen has come a long way from the nervous redshirt freshman who started the 2016 season in Deland, Florida by striking out looking on three pitches. The Rose Valley, Pennsylvania native played in 220 games for the Blue Hens across four seasons, the second most in program history, and finished his career in the top 15 in several offensive categories.
"He just embodies what we all believe and value in a student-athlete and a University of Delaware athlete," head coach Jim Sherman said.
More than just a prolific leadoff hitter, Mohollen is an outstanding student. After redshirting his freshman year, he completed an undergraduate degree in accounting by the end of his redshirt junior season. Now he's one summer class away from earning his MBA in finance. In August, he'll start an entry-level position at The Vanguard Group, an investment management firm based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Juggling a business degree with a 50-game baseball season is a grind. The key for Mohollen's success in both arenas was a dedication to taking care of all the little things.
"If you're taking care of everything else, it'll usually take care of itself," Mohollen said of playing baseball at a high level in college. "Staying with the trainers, staying on top of lifting, eating right. All that fun stuff that nobody really likes to do. That definitely helps you stay healthy, stay consistent."
Sherman points to that attention to detail as a major factor in the Blue Hens' Colonial Athletic Association championship in 2017.
"Those tiny things that you do well lead you on to be a part of big things. That was evident in 2017." Sherman said. "Those guys were a group that all the little things were done well and it meant something to do them well. He was a sophomore that year and he was a big part of that."
Mohollen's experiences and growth, going from a high school catcher/3-hole hitter to a college center fielder/leadoff man, from striking out looking in his first at-bat to drawing the fourth-most walks in school history (140), from a nervous freshman to a three-time All-CAA selection, made him an obvious selection as team captain.
"He didn't have as strong of a year as he'd like, but he did a lot more from a leadership role," Sherman said. "Things that are behind the scenes that you just can't measure on a stat sheet."
At the Hennies Monday night, Mohollen received the Edgar Johnson Award, given annually to the UD senior male letterwinner who best exemplifies the characteristics of hard work, dedication, fairness, and striving for excellence. Mohollen's body of work on the field is impressive (241 career hits and 188 career runs), but the work ethic that won him the Edgar Johnson Award will be his legacy at Delaware.
"I would just like to be remembered as a guy that whenever I ran out to center field, whatever game it was, you knew you were getting 100% out of me," Mohollen said. "As a guy that played the game hard, played the game the right way, and took care of business at the same time."
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"I can tell you right now, even though it was probably the worst at-bat of my career, I can still remember my first at-bat at Stetson," Mohollen said, half laughing. "I still remember when I stood in the box, I felt like my knees were knocking together."
Mohollen has come a long way from the nervous redshirt freshman who started the 2016 season in Deland, Florida by striking out looking on three pitches. The Rose Valley, Pennsylvania native played in 220 games for the Blue Hens across four seasons, the second most in program history, and finished his career in the top 15 in several offensive categories.
"He just embodies what we all believe and value in a student-athlete and a University of Delaware athlete," head coach Jim Sherman said.
More than just a prolific leadoff hitter, Mohollen is an outstanding student. After redshirting his freshman year, he completed an undergraduate degree in accounting by the end of his redshirt junior season. Now he's one summer class away from earning his MBA in finance. In August, he'll start an entry-level position at The Vanguard Group, an investment management firm based in Malvern, Pennsylvania.
Juggling a business degree with a 50-game baseball season is a grind. The key for Mohollen's success in both arenas was a dedication to taking care of all the little things.
"If you're taking care of everything else, it'll usually take care of itself," Mohollen said of playing baseball at a high level in college. "Staying with the trainers, staying on top of lifting, eating right. All that fun stuff that nobody really likes to do. That definitely helps you stay healthy, stay consistent."
Sherman points to that attention to detail as a major factor in the Blue Hens' Colonial Athletic Association championship in 2017.
"Those tiny things that you do well lead you on to be a part of big things. That was evident in 2017." Sherman said. "Those guys were a group that all the little things were done well and it meant something to do them well. He was a sophomore that year and he was a big part of that."
Mohollen's experiences and growth, going from a high school catcher/3-hole hitter to a college center fielder/leadoff man, from striking out looking in his first at-bat to drawing the fourth-most walks in school history (140), from a nervous freshman to a three-time All-CAA selection, made him an obvious selection as team captain.
"He didn't have as strong of a year as he'd like, but he did a lot more from a leadership role," Sherman said. "Things that are behind the scenes that you just can't measure on a stat sheet."
At the Hennies Monday night, Mohollen received the Edgar Johnson Award, given annually to the UD senior male letterwinner who best exemplifies the characteristics of hard work, dedication, fairness, and striving for excellence. Mohollen's body of work on the field is impressive (241 career hits and 188 career runs), but the work ethic that won him the Edgar Johnson Award will be his legacy at Delaware.
"I would just like to be remembered as a guy that whenever I ran out to center field, whatever game it was, you knew you were getting 100% out of me," Mohollen said. "As a guy that played the game hard, played the game the right way, and took care of business at the same time."
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