Former Lewis-Clark State College baseball players Paul Martin (left) and Brian Bollwitt are planning to pursue careers in the medical field—a trend that seems to be growing more common to the Warrior program.
Martin, who served as the Warriors’ starting centerfielder for four straight years from 2006-2009, will graduate from LCSC this spring with a double major in Biology and Chemistry. Bollwitt, a utility infielder for the Warriors in 2007 and 2008, graduated from LCSC last fall with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.
Both Warriors have been accepted into medical schools to study dentistry this fall, and both attribute a good portion of their academic success to the time they spent on the baseball field with LCSC head coach Ed Cheff.
“The interviewers at each school I’ve applied to have wanted their applicants to stand out,” said Martin, who has been accepted at multiple medical schools. “Playing baseball for four years and winning three national championships has really helped me get accepted by a lot of schools.”
Not only does Martin, who is originally from Kennewick, Wash., think his time spent in a Warrior uniform is helping him open academic doors, but he also thinks it will help him when he starts his career.
“I’ll never have a teacher or a boss as tough as Ed,” said Martin who is now deciding between the University of Louisville and Howard University in Washington D.C. “Playing baseball at LC has taught me team work, how to deal with other people, and how to work with a bunch of different personalities towards a common goal.”Bollwitt (left) shared a common championship goal with Martin on the field and now the native of Great Falls, Mont., shares a common career goal with his former teammate.
“Paul and I are best friends,” said Bollwitt, who plans to attend Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Ore., this fall. “It was nice to go through the challenges of baseball and school together, and it is neat to find a similar career path.”
Bollwitt, who has also been accepted at the University of Minnesota, agrees with Martin that playing baseball at LCSC helped shape who he is today.
“Athletics always has a lot of lessons involved with it,” Bolwitt said. “You go through challenging times and overcoming those challenges helps you find out who you are as an individual and where you want to go in life.”In deciding to attend medical school, Martin and Bollwitt are following in the footsteps of Scott Hormell (left), Sennett Pierce, and Ryan Heitman, who also used LCSC and Warrior baseball as a career spring board.
Hormel is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Orthopedic Physician Associates in Seattle. He specializes in knee and shoulder arthroscopy and reconstruction, and has often offered his services to Warrior athletes. In 2009, Hormel was recognized in Lewis-Clark State’s Journey Magazine for his professional accomplishments and his contributions to LCSC.
Similar to Martin and Bollwitt, Hormel attributes his career choice to his college choice, “I would have never gotten into medical school if I hadn’t come to LCSC,” he said.
Heitman (left) and Pierce (right) both chose the medical school at Des Moines University in Iowa. Heitman, who graduated from Des Moines in 2007, is currently interning at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis in Washington, while Pierce is now in his fourth year and will graduate in May.All five of the above Warriors bring to life one of Lewis-Clark State College’s slogans, “Smart Choice.”
“I was about a month away from going to WSU,” said Martin. “At the last minute I decided to go to LC. I didn’t know a single person, and I didn’t know what to expect, but to this day I still say it is the best decision I ever made.”
