Folmer Remembers Dad on Mound

Stephen F. Austin pitcher Richard Folmer was one of two Lumberjack pitchers drafted into the MLB last Wednesday. Folmer was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and teammate Chris Court was drafted by the Boston Red Sox.

I wasn't able to talk to Folmer after he was drafted last semester I sat down with him and listened to him his incredible story. Here's the story I wrote for the Pine Long, SFA's paper:


Before he throws his first pitch, Richard Folmer, Houston senior, takes off his hat in honor of his dad. The gesture is made in hopes of gaining strength and confidence to close the game and lead his team to victory from the mound.

"My dad passed away when I was 9, and he's the reason I'm in baseball," Folmer said. "Ever since I was about two he would always play catch with me. He was hard on me, but he just wanted me to be the best that I could be even at a young age. He would always tell me when I pitch to make sure I'm ready for a line drive right back at me. He is the reason I love baseball so much."

Folmer's father, Danny was a pitcher himself, and early in Richard's college career, he ran into his dad's high school baseball coach, Bob Akins. "They were honoring him as an honoree coach but I didn't know who he was," Folmer said.

"He showed me a yearbook, and it was awesome," Folmer said. "It was kind of a surreal moment, because I see myself in (my dad). I photocopied some pictures, and during my sophomore year, I took them with me on road trips and just looked through them for inspiration on the road."

Folmer still uses the lessons he learned from his dad. "He taught me how to throw a curve ball," he recalled. "You could ask anybody on this team, and they'll probably tell you that my best pitch is my breaking pitch. He was one of the first people to show me how to throw a breaking pitch. He taught me all about sports; what an RBI was, what home run was, what a sacrifice fly was-most of these things that kids that young don't understand."

Around the age of three or four, Folmer's parents divorced. "From then on, I rarely got to see my dad, but when I did see him, all we'd ever do was watch sports and play baseball," he said.

Even while pitching in high school, Folmer did not consider playing college ball a reality, at least not until SFA came into the picture.

"In the fall of my senior year, (former head coach) Donnie Watson asked if I wanted to help start up a new program at SFA, and I was all for it. In high school, I never imagined playing college baseball. When a Division I coach offered me a scholarship, I was like 'Heck yeah, sign me up,' so they made me a Lumberjack."

While at SFA, Folmer has built many memories, and the greatest one he says came two years ago. "It was my sophomore year," he said, "and it was a win or go-home game to get into our first Southland Conference Tournament. Donnie [Watson] put me in as the closer, and I ended up getting that last out, and that took us to the tournament. I will never forget that moment. Hopefully we can have a repeat of that."

Time may be running out on Folmer's college career, but it is not over. He says the team chemistry is higher than it has been during his whole time here. "No one dislikes anyone," he said. "We're all buddies and have each other's backs."

Folmer said he does not think there is one individual on the team who works harder than the rest, because he believes they all work equally, giving everything they have got

"I give a lot of credit to Coach (Johnny) Cardenas for instilling that work ethic and motivation in us, because I think everybody works their hardest. We all have character and are easy-going guys. I think the most important aspect is team chemistry, and we finally have that now."

He also says he wants to help the younger players on the team, and he does not want to go without leaving a mark. "Even if they don't listen, I enjoy teaching the younger guys," he said. "I may not know everything, but just trying to help them out is important to me.

First year head coach Cardenas believes the younger players are listening and clinging to any advice he gives. "They've taken to that really well," Cardenas said. "All three of (SFA's closing pitchers) have a pretty close bond as they're competitive in their nature. They've really learned from each other. (Folmer has) really helped us with our younger guys who will fill that spot next year by giving them examples of how to go about being a closer."

The outcome of the game often lies in the hands of Folmer as the closing pitcher, and he believes a pitcher in that position has to forget it as quickly as possible. "Having a short memory is the probably the hardest lesson I've learned, because if you lose a game for the team, you have to let it go and get out there when they need you."

The task at hand for the Jacks is winning games in the Southland Conference to eventually get into next month's conference tournament.

"If they're in the Southland, I want a piece of them," Folmer said. "The mid-week games count, but when it comes down to it, if you're in the Southland, we want to beat you, and we want to sweep you. If I were to pick one of those teams I want to play the most, I'd say Sam Houston, because the past three years I've been here, we've played them real well. That's always a great series."

Folmer is currently hoping for a chance to play in the majors, but if that does not happen, he will do something in business. That time will be here soon but not until after baseball season is over. Folmer is not even on the mound to close this one quite yet. **

We can only assume he'll be on the minor league system but it'll be fun to watch and see if he gets called up.