Seniors enter their final year in the black and gold

By: Jack Mitchell and Meredith McCullum

Editor’s note: this article was written and edited before Oct. 10, when Dalhousie’s baseball team started playing in the ACBA Championships.

It’s never easy to say goodbye. 

For these senior Dalhousie University Tigers, the clock is winding down on their university athletic careers. But as they suit up in black and gold one last time, they’re determined to make an impact for their teams.

Kiwean Song

Kiwean Song never thought he would be a pitcher, but the Dalhousie Tigers right-hander has dominated the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball Association this season, pitching a 3.00 ERA through 21 innings.

He’d hardly pitched before he was 14.

“I always thought I was going to be an infielder or an outfielder,” Song says.

But before he knew it, the Bedford native was playing around with grips and practicing pitching with his dad, all while studying Madison Bumgarner’s power slider and Clayton Kershaw’s curveball on YouTube.  

Song’s smaller stature growing up drew him to the mechanics of five feet 11 inches MLB pitcher, Tim Lincecum.

“I was a small guy trying to throw heat,” Song says.

Now he’s six-foot-three and 200 pounds, and the heat is certainly there — but so is the breaking ball.  

This summer, Song joined the 22U AAA Halifax Mets, bringing home silver at the 22U national championships in Dartmouth, N.S. He credits fellow Mets pitchers Nick Shrider, Rory MacDonald and Evan Phillips for helping him throw hard with precision. In a game against the Metro Marlins on Jun. 13, Song allowed three hits and no earned runs in 5.1 innings. He also recorded 12 strikeouts.

“My confidence went through the roof,” Song says.

Song is set to graduate from Dal this year with a bachelor of commerce. He credits managing a full course load and a part-time job with teaching him another pitcher’s skill — time management. He brings that discipline to preparing for every game.

“Music, a light breakfast, a good night’s sleep; then I get to the field, nice and loose,” Song says. “I plug in, stretch it out and get ready to pitch.”

The Tigers hold the number one seed heading into the ACBA championships at St. Francis Xavier University from Oct. 10 through 12. Song is certain to be part of the Dal game plan, but he has no predictions for the tournament — except that it’s going to be a fight.

“We’re going to go in there thinking it’s a brand new ball game against every team,” Song says.

Song, now a veteran on the team, has advice for the next generation of ball players who don the black and gold.

“If it’s fun, you have a passion for it, and you’re willing to learn, I think success is bound to happen,” Song says.

Madelyn White

Dalhousie women’s basketball player Madelyn White is leading by example in her sixth year of U Sports basketball.

White, a second-year master’s student in resource and environmental management, is a forward/guard playing in her second season at Dalhousie. She previously played at Wilfrid Laurier University for four seasons during her undergraduate degree.

“If you have six years of experience, you clearly have stuff to share even if you’re not the captain,” White says.

Her last season as a Tiger is bittersweet. 

“It’s kind of sad to know that my career is ending. I’ve thought about [continuing], but nothing’s set in stone. I’ll have to see what happens.”

As the pre-season gets underway for the Tigers, White is ready to get started with her teammates and use her experience to help the new players.

“I’m super excited,” White said. “I think we have a really great group of girls this year.”