by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
Takoda Metoxen is a 6’0” pitcher for the University of Memphis baseball team. He is Oneida and was born in Green Bay, WI. “I grew up in the city of Milwaukee during my earlier years and eventually moved to the town of Franklin, which is a suburb of Milwaukee,” said Takoda. “My father, Shannon, is full blooded Oneida while my mother, Leigh, is of Polish descent. Both grew up in the city of Milwaukee as well and now live in Franklin.”
“I’ve never been the biggest guy on the field but knowing that my height was something I couldn’t control, I wanted to maximize the factors of my body that I could control which ended up being my strength and speed,” said Takoda. “The weight room is the place I’ve called home almost every day since arriving on campus. I knew that if I excelled in there, it would pay off on the field when every pitch mattered.”
“My mental strength is one of the things I am most proud of when it comes to the game of baseball,” said Takoda. “I figured out early in my playing career that if I took my foot off the gas at all, I was essentially giving up to the guy standing in the box. That absence of fear really is not even the most important part in my opinion, it’s just the start to having the mental strength needed to succeed in this game. The real test is overcoming adversity.”
“Being a relief pitcher, I’ve been called on numerous times to come in for a bases loaded jam. My pitching coach, Russ McNickle and I have a running joke about the amount of times it has fallen on my shoulders to get us out of some tough spots that could decide whether we win or lose. It’s become part of my identity amongst the pitching staff that I’m the one they can lean on if things are ever going south. I like having my guys’ backs and I trust that they’ll have mine when it comes down to it,” added Takoda.
“When I first came to the school, I was just a guy who could throw relatively hard. Coming out of high school I had no idea where the ball was going once I let go of it. I really relied on velocity to get batters out. Coach Mac taught me how to beat hitters with more than just a fastball and how to keep them off balance with secondary pitchers. He also taught me how to handle myself on the mound. How to pitch with intent and a mentality of somebody who knew they could beat you,” added Takoda.
“From the beginning of his time here at the University of Memphis he has been driven to be successful and I believe that is a credit to his family and their values,” said Russ McNickle, University of Memphis Associate Head Baseball Coach.
“He has been such a constant learner from the start of his career by taking the extra time to watch others work, especially the guys that are and/or were the better players. Always looking to see if there is something that can work for him. The biggest stride he has made is from the mental side was his confidence and trusting his ability while believing that he belongs playing at the highest level of college baseball. Really became evident in his junior season, as he began to take a higher and more important role in our pitching staff. He’s taking a major leadership role this year, his senior year, and I am very proud to see his development on and off the field,” added Coach Russ.
“Every successful team in any sport has a leader,” said Takoda. “Whether it is the coach, a manager, or one of the players. During my time at the University of Memphis I have seen examples of different types of leadership. The two main ones are leading by example, and by speaking up or being vocal. Never really being one to yell or be that ‘hoorah’ guy, I naturally fell into a leadership role as a guy who shows others how things need to be done by doing them myself. In the weight room, I focus on the task in front of me and give it my all until that task is done. During practice I keep my mind focused on what I can do that day to get better and ultimately help my team win. On the mound, I pitch with the intent of beating the guy standing 60 feet away. And if that guy ends up beating me, I never show anything to let him know he was the better player on any given pitch.”
“My goal when it comes to being a leader is showing the younger guys how to handle themselves if they want to become a better ball player. You can’t be the guy who goes out every weekend and stays up all night playing video games. That guy will almost never be anything more than an average player. I want my guys to be the ones who grind out reps, maintain a throwing program, do the daily recovery, and ultimately just doing the right things to make this team better,” added Takoda.
“One of the core values that has helped me throughout my life not only as a baseball player but as a person in general, is the pride of being native,” said Takoda. “My dad got it through to me at a young age that no matter what I’m doing in life whether it is in school, on the field, or in a work space, I was almost always going to be the only Indian there. He always used to tell me that I had to show them how hard we work and how tough we are. I had to make sure everyone who was watching would say, ‘Damn those Indians are some tough SOBs.’ This mindset has driven me to be the best I can be in every aspect of life.”
“My future is hopefully a few more years of playing baseball,” said Takoda. “Since this is my last year of NCAA eligibility, myself along with my friends and family hope that this is the year my name gets called in the MLB Draft. While I am aware that only a small percentage of players are drafted, I’m hoping there is a team out there that gives me the chance to play professional baseball. I have filled out paperwork for several Major League clubs who are interested, but there won’t be an answer to whether or not I am to be drafted until after the completion of my senior season.”
“Knowing the chances of getting drafted are slim, I have taken it upon myself to prepare for life after baseball. My plan for a job if baseball doesn’t work out is to become a worker in the trades. I hope to one day become an electrician in the city of Milwaukee. I have already worked during my summers with companies who offer apprenticeships in that trade which will hopefully land me a job in the future,” added Takoda.
“Like many other kids my Dad was my first coach in every single sport I chose to play,” said Takoda. “Growing up he taught me football, baseball, boxing, and pretty much all the basics to being an athlete. He’s been a huge influence on me with the lessons he taught me. He consistently pushed me to get better. I wouldn’t be the man or athlete I am today without his guidance.”
Takoda’s Dad Shannon shared: “Takoda was a very active kid that always needed to keep his hands and feet moving. He loved running and learning things quickly at a early age. One thing I remember about Takoda was when he was five years old playing in soccer leagues. We would have to yell from the sideline for him not to steal the ball from his own teammates. He would run down the field and score because he was just that much faster. He had the speed and coordination at that age. When he started playing baseball he could always throw a ball harder than other kids that were two and three years older then him. At 5 years old he started to play for Wilson Park Youth Baseball. It’s a great program for kids in Milwaukee. He played for many years there but we knew he needed to be at higher level of competition.”
“We got him involved with a traveling select team that eventually landed him with the Rawlings Hitters program with RJ Fergus. He traveled the Midwest and southern states. His teammates and the teams he competed against, had future Division I athletes on them. We knew when he was able to compete at that level that he could have the opportunity to play Division I baseball. It was exciting for him to get invitational letters to go on baseball visits from Big Ten schools, schools out east and schools down south. But we could not be happier that he landed to play at the University of Memphis,” added Shannon.
“Coach John Vey was my first real baseball coach when I started playing at four years old,” said Takoda. “He coached me until I was 13 years old. While I learned the basics of the sport through my Dad, Coach John was the one who taught me the more advanced mechanics of the game while I was growing up and was also one of the first real pitching coaches I had. The time and effort he put into making me a better player is a huge reason I have made it this far in my baseball career. He still remains one of my closest and trusted figures to this day.”
Coach John Vey shared: “I coached Takoda when he was seven through 12 years old. The first year was ‘Coach Pitch’, so he never saw the mound. That did not deter us from working on his throwing and pitching mechanics. I would host pitching clinics in my basement and we worked on mechanics. The pitch was broken down into the lower and upper halves of the body. On the bottom, we focused on balance and stride. The upper half involved the motion of the hands, proper position of throwing arm and how the front side arm should be positioned. The rotation of the hips and follow through were added. We broke down each of those skills into different types of drills. Repetition was stressed to develop muscle memory.”
“Takoda eventually joined a select/club team when he was nine or 10. At that time, he then received pitching instruction from those coaches. I wanted Takoda to have consistent instruction, so I focused on other areas of Takoda’s game including fielding, hitting, and situations. With Takoda playing so much baseball I focused on his mental wellbeing. I made sure he was having fun and enjoying this great game. I’ve seen too many players get burned out and wanted to make sure Takoda wasn’t another casualty. He had a blast playing with us and always had a smile. I watched him play with his select teams over the years and have been impressed with his dedication and work ethic. I’m very proud of the person and player Takoda has become and happy to have played a role in his development as a ball player,” added Coach Vey.
“I want up and coming student athletes to know that doing well in the classroom is just as important as doing well on the field if they want to be a collegiate athlete,” said Takoda. “With the way scholarships work, having good grades and test scores opens up many more opportunities than just being good at the sport you play. Another thing that comes with balancing schoolwork and sports is that wanting to be the best you can be in the classroom will help you improve on the field as well. The mindset of wanting to be successful in everything you do can take you a long way. There is always enough time in the day to get work done in addition to improving your craft. Everybody has 24 hours each day to get better, what separates the good and the great is what you do in those 24 hours.”
“During my high school years when it really seemed like I could make something of this baseball thing, I made a promise to myself that If I ever were to make it to the big leagues and have the resources available to change the lives of the kids on the reservation, I would make it my priority,” said Takoda. “Even if I don’t make it, I still plan on doing my part to make a difference among the young people whether it be through clinics or camps. Just to introduce them to something that can act as a distraction from all the negatives that surround them. And who knows, maybe all it takes is an introduction and they’ll find themselves falling in love with the sport as I have. There could be some future all-stars living on the reservation. It may just take a little guidance towards the right path and that’s what my goal is.”
