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Derek Thobe, RHP, Coldwater HS, Class of 2015

PBR: Why did you choose Ohio Dominican?

Thobe: I choose Ohio Dominican because it was a very good academic school.  When I went on my visit there it just felt like home.  It was really nice and I felt like everybody new everybody and that how it is in Coldwater, Ohio. 

PBR: What other schools were you considering?

Thobe: I was considering Hillsdale, Sinclair, Ohio Northern, and maybe walking on at Wright State Dayton.

PBR: Where did Ohio Dominican first see you? How did your relationship develop with Coach Page?

Thobe: I believe they first time they saw me was at the State Tournament.  I believe that they were following me through our tournament run and first watched me in the state semi-final game.  Actually I received a text from the assistant coach and we kept in touch.  When I went on my visit that is the first time I talking to Coach Page.  I really felt like he was all about winning and a very hard working coach.  I didn’t want to be a part of a program that wasn’t successful and I know that at Ohio Dominican they will be successful.   

PBR: Your high school team, won the State Championship last spring.  Tell us how it felt to win the title and how much pressure do you feel to repeat as a champion?

Thobe: Winning the DIII State Championship last year was awesome.  It was the best feeling ever.  You work so hard all season and that was our goal once the season started.  We knew that it would be hard but we could defiantly do it.  I don’t think we have too much pressure to tell you the truth.  We are just going to go out there and do what we do and keep working hard every day and see where it brings us.    

PBR: What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?

Thobe: The coaches told me that it just depends how you do in the fall of your freshman year.  They told me that I have to have my arm in shape when I get there and then you just have to compete for a spot. 

PBR: What summer team do you play on and how has travel baseball helped your development as a player?

Thobe: Actually I just played on our schools summer ACME team.  ACME is where it is all the guys from the same school and you just play the teams around you and then there is a State ACME tournament and my junior and senior season we made it to the State ACME tournament.  My junior year we lost to Defiance in the finals, and my senior year we got 3^rd losing to Perrysburg. 

PBR: What was the most memorable experience from this summer?

Thobe: The most memorable experience from this summer was defiantly playing in the State ACME tournament.   

PBR: Who has had the biggest impact on you as a baseball player?

Thobe: I would say that my Coaches had the biggest impact on me.  Coach Siefring, Coach Moorman, and Coach Harlamert had the biggest impact on me because they made me who I am today.  They taught me not just about baseball but life in general.  They knew what my ability was and they believed in me.   

PBR: Who is the toughest hitter that you have faced in Ohio?

Thobe: Chase Murray from CHCA was defiantly the toughest hitter I had to face.