UNM power-hitting star outfielder Donny Sevieri saw his collegiate baseball career end not with a bang, but on a bunt.
It happened during the Lobos' 23-2 loss March 30 to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas when Sevieri saw the third baseman playing his position near the outfield grass. He tried to drag a bunt down the third-base line, but the pitch veered toward him, forcing him to lean back when he made contact.
As he started toward first base, Sevieri felt a pop.
"I stopped because I thought the catcher kicked me," Sevieri said. "But that was just the feeling of the tendon (tearing). It was just like a gunshot, a pain I really can't describe. My foot kind of went numb."
When he went to the dugout to assess the injury, he and the trainer saw nothing where his Achilles Tendon was supposed to be - it had rolled up into his calf muscle. It will take six-to-nine months of rehabilitation, but Sevieri said he should fully recover from the injury.
"I just take it day-by-day and make sure it gets healed up," Sevieri said. "My main concern is being able to walk and run with my kids."
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The injury ended what was becoming a productive year for the senior. He had raised his average from .231 to.342 with an 18-30 performance over a 10-game span. He was second on the team in home runs with six and had 20 runs batted in.
Sevieri's injury was another in a series of career-altering events he has faced. After graduating from Eldorado High School in 1998 with a football scholarship to play at UNM, Sevieri had an opportunity to go to the big time - Major League Baseball.
He was drafted in the ninth round of the MLB amateur draft by the Detroit Tigers. After two months of negotiations, Sevieri temporarily turned his back on a professional career in favor of playing at UNM.
Sevieri was considered a potential star for the football and baseball teams, but he left the football team after redshirting his freshman season.
On the baseball diamond, Sevieri blossomed as a sophomore, hitting .392 with 10 home runs and 54 RBIs. He led the conference and was fourth in the nation with 29 doubles and was named on the all-conference first team.
To top it off, the Lobos won the inaugural Mountain West Conference title by four-and-a-half games over San Diego State University.
UNM Assistant coach Mark Martinez said Sevieri and his teammates benefited from the leadership of upperclassmen such as Aaron Sisk, Scott Candelaria, Dee Dennis and Scott Tajima. But Sisk and Candelaria left for the major leagues that year and Dennis and Tajima graduated, leaving a void that Sevieri felt he had to fill.
"He felt the responsibility to be the leader and to be that guy to pick up the slack, since we lost four kids," Martinez said. "Those four kids were the backbone of the program."
The responsibility weighed heavily on Sevieri, and he did not live up to his sophomore season. He batted .329 as a junior, which was fourth among starters, led the team with nine home runs and tied for third with 40 RBIs.
Sevieri said last year's team was young and not as good as the previous squad, but he faulted himself for not being patient enough. He said his hitting improved toward the end of the season when he became more selective at the plate.
Sevieri earned Mountain West player of the week honors in April when he hit 6-12 against UNLV and hit three home runs to go with 10 RBIs. His late season performance helped the Lobos to a third-place finish in the conference and to a semifinal appearance in the conference tournament.
"In the tournament, that was probably the best series I had all year," Sevieri said. "I took pitches that were getting me out and I accumulated a lot of walks. I just felt good at the plate."
As the only four-year player at UNM, Sevieri has become the ultimate leader. Martinez said Sevieri's work ethic on and off the field will leave a lasting impression on the players in the program.
Martinez said Sevieri also has taken the time to encourage his teammates to be better, whether it was with a kind word or a kick in the butt. That, and his infectious smile, has made him a special leader to this team.
"It's how he handled them, like putting his arms around them and give them a pep talk or calling them," Martinez said. "It's not normally what I hear as a coach. It's amazing what he's done outside the lines."
Sevieri said his positive outlook is a reflection of his Christian beliefs and his maturity. He said he has no regrets about the decisions he has made in his life, and sees his current setback as another life lesson.
"I think we have to deal with adversity and everyone has to go through trials in life," Sevieri said. "(The injury) is just one of many ways of teaching me about life and making best out of what you have."
