Senior Vannaken a 'Workhorse' for Scots' Statistical Staff
Monmouth, IL (09/21/2020) — "Who comes up with those stats?" is an often-asked question when dissecting a game. For the past four years at Monmouth College, it's primarily been Austin Vannaken, a senior business administration and wellness administration double major from East Galesburg, Ill., and a four-year member of the baseball team.
Vannaken has been the workhorse student-worker in the sports information office, where he handles statistical duties for six sports, more than any other student on staff. In the fall, Vannaken is the lead spotter for football and keeps the handwritten backup copy of the soccer matches. In the winter, the versatile Vannaken takes the role of lead spotter for men's and women's basketball before moving outside in the spring to help keep the baseball scorebook - when he's not on the mound.
Experience playing football, basketball and baseball gave Vannaken a good base for keeping statistics in those sports. Soccer took a little more work.
"I didn't know anything about soccer when I started," admitted Vannaken. "It was pretty easy to pick up and I had some good help teaching me the game. Learning a new sport was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed working the games."
That enjoyment came to a halt this fall when the Midwest Conference canceled the fall seasons. Vannaken shares a common bond with other Fighting Scots student-athletes whose senior years were wiped out in the spring and now the fall, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"Honestly, my heart was broken," he said upon learning of the cancellation of the fall seasons. "I made a lot of memories working the events, and I enjoy watching my fellow Scots on the field. Having no sporting events during the fall takes away some of the things I look forward to during the week. Being able to work the games felt like a break from the classroom, and of course the paycheck felt good, too."
Much like the rest of the student body and the campus, Vannaken is holding his breath and hoping the seasons will resume in time for the spring semester.
"I will be pretty upset (if basketball is cancelled)," he said. "Basketball is one of the more challenging sports to do now with new statistics software. It's also the last sports season I would be able to work before, hopefully, the start of my senior baseball season. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things calling out plays and feeling like it is back to normal. But it will also make me a little sad that this will be my last year doing stats."
The new fall schedule has created an abrupt change for Vannaken, a baseball academic all-conference honoree as a sophomore. His usual fall hours spent with stats on the soccer pitch and in the press box at April Zorn Memorial Stadium are now converted to extra study time as he carries an overload this fall, working toward graduating in May, and getting back to his pitching form from last spring when he posted a 0.00 ERA in two games before the pandemic cancelled the remainder of the season.
Vannaken has had a front row seat to four Midwest Conference Championships - three as a statistician and one as a player. Three titles came his way as a freshman, as football and men's basketball were followed by experiencing one as a player when the Fighting Scots baseball team won the championship. Football added another crown last year, completing "The Drive" for a come-from-behind win over rival St. Norbert in the title game.
So, does he have a favorite sport to stat?
"That's a tough one," replied Vannaken. "I loved doing all three (football, basketball, soccer), but if I had to choose one, I would have to go with football. There is nothing that beats being up in the press box on Saturday with (Sports Information Director) Dan Nolan and getting the stats right. I'm really proud of being able to adapt to the changes in the stats field and the opportunity to work the conference championships."
While Vannaken ranks working MWC title games among the best parts of the job, he buffers that with the realization that Mother Nature can be a cruel relative.
"The worst part is the ever-changing Illinois weather," he admitted. "It can go from being a great sunny day to raining sideways and in a lighting and rain delay for hours. The best thing about doing stats is really understanding the game in a different perspective than I was used to, as well as being able to cheer (silently) for our Scots. I absolutely loved everything about the job, but there is pressure doing stats and not screwing up the call. I felt a little more pressure to get it right for the 'big' games. It's really all about being able to understand different games, and over the years I found out what (the computer inputter) really needed to know and how fast they needed it. It is definitely an experience I will never forget."
The ability to remain calm under pressure and focusing on the task at hand are skills which may serve Vannaken well upon graduation, when he plans to pursue a career in firefighting.
Besides earning a paycheck and acquiring life skills, Vannaken had an ulterior motive when it came to working in the sports information office.
"As a freshman, it helped me transition to living away from home, said Vannaken. "It kept me busy and allowed me to make new friends. Working with Dan has been some of the best times for me at Monmouth. I'll miss working the games with him and all the ribbing he gave me that shaped me into the worker I am today. I'd tell new stats workers to make the most out of the time you have doing it. It's not only about getting the stats right, but making memories with the other workers and most of all giving 120 percent to what you're doing."
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