Drew Ehrhard already was a legacy player before he crafted his own legacy.
As he grew up, the Wharton High School graduate and standout baseball player dreamed of following in his dad’s footsteps — by joining the perennial national championship contender University of Tampa (UT) Spartans’ baseball program.
His father, Rodney, played at UT from 1986 to 1987, before he went on to play in the New York Yankees organization. He was inducted into the UT’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Drew’s a Spartan, through and through,” longtime UT baseball coach Joe Urso said.
Ehrhard had some other college offers, while he was at Wharton, but his mind was made up — he was set on being a Spartan.
“I always knew UT was where I wanted to be,” Ehrhard said. “I’ve been truly blessed with my time here at Tampa — from the players to coach Urso to the fans and the support staff — truly a blessing.”
Ehrhard has blessed the Spartans, actually.
In six seasons (he got an extra because of the 2020 COVID season), he’s a .335 career hitter. He broke the program record for most career hits — with a homer on May 11 vs. Newberry College, marking career hit 340 to surpass Ronnie Merrill.
“That’s been something I’ve been trying to do for a long time,” Ehrhard said. “Around Year 5 (2022), and when I realized there was going to be a Year 6 (this season), I started to realize that I had a chance when I needed around 70 hits and had already had a couple of 70-hit seasons.
“Everything that has happened in my career here has just been amazing.”
That includes becoming a national champion. In 2019, the Spartans defeated Colorado Mesa University in Cary, North Carolina, for the program’s eighth Division II National Championship.
Back then, he was playing second base, his original position. He had stints at third and shortstop, but when the 2022 season came around, Urso asked Ehrhard to play catcher, something he’d never done.
“He’s jumped around wherever we’ve needed him and always done well,” Urso said. “He started out at second base, but ended up catching the whole year. Then, when he’s back at second, we moved him to first (due to another player injury). He’s done an amazing job because Drew will jump through hoops for this university. He really cares about the uniform.”
“I’ve always made it very clear that I’ll do whatever is best for the team,” Ehrhard added. “Coach heard me and took it to heart — he gave me a shot at catching, and it was a really cool experience. I’m having a lot of fun with the challenge of playing first, but second base will always have a special place in my heart (laughs).”
During his entire baseball playing career, Ehrhard has put his team first. Doing so has earned him numerous accolades.
As a senior at Wharton, he won the Tony Saladino Award, which is presented annually to the top senior player in Hillsborough County, after batting .422 with 35 hits, 24 RBI, nine doubles and four homers.
Scott Hoffman, the former Wharton coach who guided Ehrhard’s Wildcat years, is one of Ehrhard’s biggest fans.
“I’ve said this to pretty much anyone who would listen: Drew is what every coach or team needs,” Hoffman said. “He is, to me, what a student-athlete should be. Not everyone is wired that way, but if there was a picture of a student-athlete in the dictionary, it would be Drew.”
That’s why Urso turns to Ehrhard, as a leader, but also to run the offense. Ehrhard is asked to do the little things — to lay down bunts, take pitches for steals or set the lineup in motion as the No. 2 hitter.
“That’s the best part — others around him learn from his leadership and love for UT,” Urso said. “We were lucky because he grew up a Spartan and wanted to follow in (his) dad’s footsteps. He’s done his family and university proud.
“He’s really the truest team player and it’s easy for me to continue to build on the winning tradition when I have players like Drew who put everything into UT.”
Ehrhard will look to guide the Spartans back to the Division II World Series. The Spartans will need to be one of the eight regional champs, with No. 3 Tampa (40-9) playing in the South Region starting May 18.
Ehrhard, who is batting .375 with 37 RBI this season, wants a second ring to go with his from 2019.
Which, of course, would just add to his legacy.
“Job’s not done yet,” Ehrhard said. “We’ve still got a lot more left to play.”
Published May 17, 2023
