Teammates learn from Buenger’s determination, attitude

From injury to opportunity
Teammates learn from Buenger’s determination, attitude 

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News staff

Developing a knack for the sport as a child, Rice’s Jesse Buenger grew up playing baseball.

“I remember playing Wiffle ball with my brother when we were just kids,” the Jones College junior said. “We’d pretend we were in Omaha. That we were in the College World Series.”

He, like most college ballplayers, went through the rigors of selecting baseball leagues and high school baseball teams and earning a spot in a college lineup. Buenger began his college career at Texas A&M, but after two years at Aggieland and with a new coach, he realized it was not the right fit for him. He was drawn to the blue and gray of the Rice Owls.

JESSE BUENGER	JIMMY COMEROTA

The move worked out well for him, now having been to the College World Series twice with Rice. However, this season was not without its difficulties for the second baseman from Bellville, Texas. It has been fraught with injuries and challenges Buenger hadn’t foreseen at the season’s start.

“I had all expectations of being drafted this year, but I got hurt and I had to regroup and come up with a new plan,” Buenger said. “It has worked out pretty well though, because this means that next year I will graduate with a Rice degree. Sure, I want to do everything to get drafted and play in the majors, but that Rice degree is an opportunity for anything. It opens so many doors across the country for any career.”

In addition to his big-league dreams, Buenger plans to do an internship with a real estate developer and is pursuing a degree in kinesiology. He said the discipline he learned in his Rice coursework has helped in baseball and vice versa.

When Buenger tore his quadriceps in Long Beach, Calif., during the second game of the season, he didn’t throw in the towel or his batting glove. Instead, he channeled all the diligence he accumulated on the field and in the classroom and put it into his rehabilitation.

Playing through the pain

Buenger recovered but was knocked down again when he dislocated a tendon in his ankle during an April 15 game against his old team, the Aggies. Initially, Buenger planned on having surgery right away, but he decided to try to deal with the pain to help his team in any way he could.

For the rest of the season and throughout the NCAA championship series, Buenger was a pinch hitter and designated hitter. He was thrilled to get to Omaha again, even though he wouldn’t be playing second base.

“Omaha doesn’t get old,” Buenger said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s a little different, being (there) for the second time, but that doesn’t take away from it at all. And it’s so cool to watch some of the other guys experience it for the first time, because you remember when you first saw Rosenblatt (Stadium) and really felt like you had made it.”

With Buenger out most of the season, Jimmy Comerota filled the gap on the diamond and held the position in his own right.

“Right before the game in Long Beach, I told Jimmy not to worry, that he would get plenty of playing time this year,” Buenger recalled with a slight laugh. “I wish I hadn’t been so right.”

Comerota said he learned a lot from Buenger — and not just technical aspects of the game.

“I learned an immense amount from not only watching Jess play second base but also watching him handle himself in day-to-day situations,” Comerota said. “When I moved over to second from shortstop after his injury, I relied heavily on what I got from him to ease the transition. He is a great baseball player and even better person.”

Books and baseball

Comerota, like Buenger, has had to learn how to balance baseball and books.

“Balancing a Division I sport and the coursework that comes with being a student-athlete is one of the most challenging things I’ve done in my life, but it has also been one of the most rewarding,” Comerota said. “It is a privilege to be able to compete at this level in a sport you enjoy playing while furthering your education at a prestigious institution.”

Comerota, a Jones College junior, is pursuing degrees in economics and kinesiology. Early into his Rice career, people began calling him “Jimmy Baseball,” and the name has stuck.

One would think a nickname like that would add a bit of pressure to the mix. But Comerota said that being a baseball player at Rice and living up to the expectations of that and personal expectations are more than enough pressure.

“I just enjoy playing baseball,” Comerota said. “The guys on the team don’t really razz me about the nickname, but there are definitely times where I get a lucky break or do something dumb that I get a ‘Jimmy Baseball’ remark in a sarcastic tone, but it’s all in good fun.”

A brotherhood

Comerota is looking forward to a third year as Buenger’s teammate and continuing to learn from Buenger’s positive attitude and team mentality.
 
“Jess handled the difficulties of this season better than anyone else on our team could have,” Comerota said. “He showed everyone this season how to play through an injury, make the most of tough situation, believe in a team idea and so much more. Jess is very much a team leader and will be one again next season.”

Buenger too is looking forward to next season, though he’ll miss some of his teammates who have graduated and will be turning to new chapters in their lives and new numbers on their lineup cards.

“Even though the guys are so unbelievably talented, they’re humble,” Buenger said. “We’re more than friends. It’s different; it’s a brotherhood. Some of my best friends in the world are and will be the guys in that locker room.”