For #40: The Unbreakable Bond Fueling Northwestern’s Season

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Adversity and hardship are part of life. It's not a matter of if they arise but when.

For the Northwestern College baseball team, that time came in early February when they tragically lost a teammate and friend, Aden De Jong.

The pain and sorrow were difficult to comprehend, but through the heartache and tears, the Red Raiders found a way to stay united.

Aden's roommate and friend, senior pitcher and outfielder Drew Dykstra, spoke to how the baseball team has grown together through shared grief.

"The first thing that I noticed is the team really came around to what Aden stood for," said Dykstra. "We saw that in many different ways - through athletics, academics, and his faith. We saw that and wanted to replicate it."

PLAYING FOR ADEN
One week after Aden's passing, the Red Raiders had a series against Friends University. They weren't sure if they were ready to play, but after discussions among themselves and with Aden's family, they knew it was what he would want.

"We had multiple team meetings that week leading up to it," said Dykstra. "We asked ourselves, is this something we want to do? Then we said, this is something Aden would want to do. He'd want us to go down and play those games no matter what."

It was an emotional weekend for Northwestern, but it was also a weekend where they grieved, bonded, and started the healing process.

"There were times we were not in the right headspace to go on the field," Dykstra said. "But we had the mindset that we were going down there to compete and honor a brother of ours."

LEADING THROUGH THE STORM
The Red Raiders could not have gotten through the grieving process without the leadership of their coaching staff.

Head coach Brian Wede, along with assistant coaches Robby Laughlin and Ben Coldiron, were instrumental in keeping the team together and helping them move forward.

"There is no good way to go about what happened, but I've seen Coach Wede, Coach Laughlin, and Coach Coldiron come to us and check in and see how we're doing as human beings and friends of Aden," Dykstra said. "They wanted to make sure the guys were doing good, and even if we weren't in a certain moment, that we had a place to go."

The team has rallied around each other and played for Aden all season long. With his #40 staged in the dugout for each game, the Raiders are regularly reminded of why they play. They even take a team picture with Aden's jersey after each victory.

"That was something Aden did with his seventh and eighth graders at MOC," Dykstra said. "After every victory, they took a selfie, and you could see everyone smiling. Before our first weekend, Coach Wede said after every win this year, we're going to take a selfie with the jersey and the whole team."

A SPECIAL BOND
The Red Raiders have had a successful season so far, but they're not done yet. With a matter of weeks remaining in the regular season, Northwestern is tied for second in the GPAC standings and will face two of the conference's top four teams this weekend.

They still have more goals to accomplish, but regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, this team will always have a special bond.

"This is the closest team I've ever played for," Dykstra said. "We've gone from less of being an individual to being a team. Aden had a huge role in that. We saw how he was in the classroom and around campus, and we want to be just like that."

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Aden De Jong: Student Coach; Senior

#13 Drew Dykstra: LHP/OF; 6' 1"; Senior; L/L

Players Mentioned

Aden De Jong
: Senior
: Student Coach

#13 Drew Dykstra
: 6' 1"; Senior; L/L
: LHP/OF

Players Mentioned

Aden De Jong

#13 Drew Dykstra

Players Mentioned

Aden De Jong

#13 Drew Dykstra