May 5th, 2025
Limestone Conducts Special Graduation Ceremony For Senior Baseball Players
Limestone University proudly held a special graduation ceremony today at the Hines & Riggins Center for members of our baseball team who were unable to walk across the stage Saturday due to postseason play in the SAC Tournament.
With family, teammates, coaches, and staff cheering them on, these student-athletes were honored for their hard work on the field and in the classroom. Provost Dr. Brian Ameling delivered heartfelt commencement remarks, reminding us all of the resilience and dedication it takes to be both a scholar and an athlete.
It was a celebration filled with pride, gratitude, and Saints spirit.
A special thank you to head coach Brett Harker and his staff for an incredible season and for their unwavering commitment to developing outstanding young men on and off the field.
View more photos HERE.
Dr. Ameling's commencement comments are below:
Good morning, Saints.
It is an honor to stand before you today on behalf of the faculty, staff, administration, and the entire Limestone University community to celebrate the Class of 2025.
Now, let’s be honest -- this isn’t your typical graduation ceremony.
There’s no packed auditorium, no long procession of caps and gowns, and no giant stage decorated with pomp and pageantry. But what we have here today is something far more meaningful -- a ceremony built not on tradition, but on tenacity. Not on spectacle, but on heart.
And for this team, I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate all that you’ve accomplished.
Each of you has taken on one of the toughest double plays life can throw at you -- being both a college athlete and a full-time student. You’ve hit the road for long away series and still managed to turn in papers on time. You’ve spent early mornings in the cages, afternoons in class, and evenings reviewing film or studying for finals. You’ve balanced practice, travel, competition, and coursework -- and you’ve done it all with grit and grace.
To be a Limestone baseball player means showing up, day in and day out, whether it’s game day or exam day. It means knowing that every inning counts -- on the field and in the classroom. And it means representing something bigger than yourself every time you step up to the plate.
This postseason run may have come to an end, but the legacy you leave behind is still taking shape. You’ve played your final game in a Saints jersey, but the lessons, memories, and bonds will carry with you for a lifetime.
This ceremony may be smaller in scale, but it is enormous in spirit. Because what we’re honoring today is more than a graduation -- it’s a journey. A journey filled with sacrifice, growth, perseverance, and passion. A journey that has shaped you into the kind of teammate, leader, and person the world needs more of.
You leave Limestone not just with a degree, but with the knowledge that you gave your all -- every inning, every exam, every challenge.
As Provost, I want to thank you for your dedication to your sport, your education, and your university. You’ve made us proud not only with the way you played the game, but with the way you carried yourselves in every facet of college life.
The season may be over. The cleats may be hung up. But make no mistake -- you are still champions. And your next season -- the one off the field -- is just beginning.
Congratulations, Class of 2025. We are proud of you. We are grateful for you. And we’ll always be cheering for you.
Once A Saint, Always A Saint.
