Toby Welk was sitting on the bench in the Aberdeen IronBirds' dugout as the raucous din from the crowd pounded in his rookie ears.
The stands were packed for Aberdeen's season opener June 14, and it was a whole new experience for Welk. He came from Division III program Penn State Berks. The crowds were never this big at his college games, and manager Kevin Bradshaw knew it. So he sat the young player and told him to watch and listen.
"I remember [him saying], 'Hey, I know where you come from. We're gonna play the other guys. You just soak it all in,'" Welk said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 28. "... So right from the start, it was definitely different. Getting out on the field definitely had a little more nerves than I'm used to."
