Will Arnold- Central Michigan
2009 Rochester Honkers
Photo of Will “Coaching Hard” for Central Michigan

What’s your favorite memory while playing for the Rochester Honkers?
WA: Winning the championship at home in front of our own fans will always be one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. The amount of talent that we had was pretty crazy to think about, we had really high draft picks on that team and at least one in the big leagues so far, with more to come soon it looks like.

What’s your favorite non-playing memory from your time with the Rochester Honkers?
WA: There’s too many memories off the field to name just one. Anywhere from being around my host family the Jones’, who are just amazing people, the fires in the dugouts with broken bats, putt putt and basketball at the RAC, bonfires at Brian Flynn’s host families house (the Stromme’s).

Who was your favorite teammate when you played for the Rochester Honkers and why?
WA: Chris Auten became one of my better friends on that team, he didn’t have a car and lived close to me so I drove him around all summer and we were pretty good friends by the end of it. Brian Flynn and Scott McGough were always a lot of fun to be around too. Overall we had a good group of guys, so we all got along pretty well.

What has happened to you since you left Rochester and what are you doing now?
WA: I started a position change to back behind the plate that next year, anyone that played with me probably saw that coming before I did, so I ended up catching my last two years of college. I finished up playing and got my degree in Sports Management from Central Michigan. After my senior year I played in the Frontier League for a year and finished up my degree, while being the undergrad assistant at CMU. After that year I got an opportunity to coach the Tournament of Stars, which is a tryout for the 18U U.S. National Team. Those kind of marked the start of my coaching and now I’m an assistant coach at Central Michigan.

What was your biggest realization while playing for the Rochester Honkers?
WA: My biggest realization was how I had no idea how much more I had to learn and how much better I had to get in order for me to compete and play with some of the best players in the country. Playing with some of those same guys was a huge part of me becoming a better player. Rusty MacNamara was also a huge part in that.

Do you stay in contact with former teammates? If so, who?
WA: I talk to Brian Flynn here and there, but that’s about it. I always look up the guys stats and see where they’re at, which is still exciting for me because I had the chance to play with them and win a championship.