Lindenwood Magazine - Spring 2018: Connecting to Alumni and Friends

Graeme Hossack Geoff Hartlieb Connor Law Lindenwood University NCAA SPORTS 18 SPRING ATHLETES MAKE THEIR WAY AS PROFESSIONALS by DANIEL NEWTON Among the many reasons that springtime is a special time of year at Lindenwood is the success of the team’s athletic programs during this season. Just last year, the women’s lacrosse, baseball, and men’s golf programs all advanced to the final site of their respective national championship events. Lindenwood’s spring sports have also produced some of the top individual athletes in school history, and four of those alumni are currently still playing their respective sports at the professional level. The top men’s lacrosse player at Lindenwood is Graeme Hossack , who finished his collegiate playing career in 2015. He was a four-time first-team all-conference selection, a two-time conference Specialist of the Year, and a first-team All-American during his senior season. Hossack ranks fourth in NCAA Division II history with 452 ground balls. He is also Lindenwood’s all-time leader with 145 caused turnovers and finished with 33 goals and 18 assists. Since leaving Lindenwood, Hossack has played professionally in both lacrosse leagues in North America. In the National Lacrosse League, which is played indoors, he is a defenseman for the Rochester Knighthawks. He made his pro debut on Jan. 9, 2016, and scored a pair of goals in his first game. He went on to be the 2016 Rookie of the Year for the Knighthawks and was named to the NLL All-Rookie Team. The following season, Hossack led the team with 215 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers. He earned the team’s top defenseman award and was a finalist for NLL Defensive Player of the Year. In just his second season, he was named an NLL Second-Team All-Pro. In the Major League Lacrosse Association, which is an outdoor league, Hossack has played for the Atlanta Blaze. In two seasons, he has collected 83 ground balls and caused 36 turnovers. Three Lindenwood baseball players are also working their way up the minor leagues: Geoff Hartlieb , Connor Law , and Brendan Feldmann . Hartlieb finished his Lindenwood career in 2016 after he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 29th round of the baseball draft. Last season, he started the season in single-A and was promoted to Class A Advanced midway through the season. Between the two teams, Hartlieb had a 2.12 ERA, and, thanks to a fastball clocked as high as 100 mph, struck out 62 batters in 63 2/3 innings. Connor Law and Brendan Feldman were the two pitching leaders on last year’s team, which reached the NCAA Division II College World Series. Both players had ERAs under 3.20, and they combined for 16 wins and 13 saves. After the season, both players signed free agent deals and played rookie ball. Law signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He spent most of the year in the Gulf Coast League and had a 1.54 ERA in 14 relief appearances. Feldman signed with the Houston Astros organization and also played in the Gulf Coast League. He had a 0.54 ERA in 12 relief appearance and struck out 21 batters in less than 17 innings.