PEABODY — There is nothing harder than being a student-athlete, especially at the collegiate level, who needs to balance athletics and academics. Former Peabody West Little League teammates Patrick Hosman and John Mulready, who play together on the Endicott College baseball team, may have found a way to deal with the double-edged sword.
“It’s all about priorities and being organized because, come season, it’s a lot and it’s stressful,” said Mulready. “You need to take care of your job off the field before you can take care of your job on the field. It’s always been school first and baseball is an add-on or a reward.”
“I went to St. John’s Prep, which is so different from other schools. It’s much harder when it comes to academics,” said Hosman. “So, I felt pretty prepared going into the school year, but to anyone who is looking to play a sport in college, when it gets to your season it’s going to be difficult. Say one day we have a game in Maine, that’s two hours there and back plus stopping to eat. That doesn’t leave you much time to study or do anything so you have to find the time.”
Endicott College announced its Dean’s List this past Thursday. Students must obtain a 3.5 GPA while enrolled in at least 12 credits with no withdrawal grades. Both Hosman and Mulready have achieved those standards.
“It’s really just a great honor. I was lucky to be out there starting as the catcher. It was awesome,” said Mulready. “It’s an honor to get Dean’s list. It’s awesome to see your name on the list and it’s a really good feeling.”
“I’m a pitcher only and we had some amazing pitching on the team,” said Hosman. “I didn’t play an inning but I was on the team. Maybe next year I’ll get in an inning or two. But, I just barely met the 3.5 to qualify for the dean’s list.”
Mulready, on the other hand, had a breakout season in 2022, posting a batting average of .340 in 43 starts as a catcher in his sophomore year. The Gulls had a record season, attaining their highest national ranking in program history (No. 12), a record 40 wins (40-10 overall), their first-ever trip to the NCAA Super Regionals, and an eighth Commonwealth Coast Conference championship.
As if being on a team together wasn’t enough, Hosman and Mulready live down the road together. “He lives down the road from me,” said Hosman. “We’ve been playing together since we were like six,” said Hosman.
“It’s really cool to play with him again. We were on the 12-year-old All-Star team together,” said Mulready. “We played Little League together then went our separate ways in high school before coming back together in college. It’s fun playing together again.”
Maddi Filip can be reached at [email protected].
