Jon Berti remembers having a baseball bat in his hands ever since he could walk. Growing up, he always had dreams of playing college baseball and moving on to the pros. This year, his dreams started coming true. Berti, who was a 36th round selection of the Oakland Athletics in the 2008 draft, is in the process of living his dream as he decided to attend college and play baseball with the Falcons instead of going into the A’s organization right out of high school. While being a professional baseball player is something he eventually wants to become, his decision to attend BG instead was not too challenging. ‘It was never really too big of a decision for me,’ Berti said. ‘I met with the A’s scout after I was drafted to talk about my future and both of us agreed that I should try and improve on some things about my game in college before thinking about heading to the pros.’ Having the chance to improve certain aspects of his game is something he’s getting the opportunity to do as he is getting playing time as a freshman at shortstop and in the outfield. As a four-year starter at shortstop in high school, Berti came to BG knowing he would not be able to start at his position. ‘We were honest and up front with him,’ BG coach Danny Schmitz said. ‘With (senior) Ryan Shay coming back, we already knew who our starter was.’ But Berti is still seeing a good amount of playing time, and he really understands his role on the team. ‘It was a little different at first just because I’m used to being out (at shortstop) every day,’ Berti said. ‘Right now, I’m more of a utility player. My job is to help the team win games any way I can, whether it’s playing the infield, outfield or pinch running. ‘I have learned a lot from Shay. He’s a great player, and he has taken me under his wing to show me how to play short at the college level.’ While Berti has learned a lot from Shay this season with the Falcons, his father, Tom Berti, has been a huge influence on his baseball life. His father played college baseball at Detroit-Mercy and for two years in the Detroit Tigers organization. Berti recalls his father teaching him the game of baseball ever since he can remember and is thankful he had someone with a great baseball background to help him. ‘My dad has had the biggest influence on me,’ Berti said. ‘To this day, if I’m ever in a slump or if I need some advice about baseball, he’s the one I’ll call.’ So far this season, Berti probably has not had the need to call his father for advice about being in a slump, as he is having a great start to the season. As of last weekend, Berti is hitting .356 in 49 at-bats, has a home run, 10 RBI and is first on the team with a .479 on base percentage. With what he has seen thus far, Shay can tell Berti is a good baseball player. ‘I haven’t really given him any advice,’ Shay said. ‘He is a good ballplayer and knows how to play the game. He is out there doing anything he can to help the team win and is having fun.’ Having fun is exactly what Berti is doing. He really enjoyed beating Michigan and had a great time on their spring trip to Winter Haven, Fla., where he thought the team played some good baseball. But all fun aside, Berti is very serious about the game and wants to accomplish all of his goals. ‘I hope to continue to work hard and improve my game so I can better help the team win,’ he said. ‘As a team, I want to win a Mid-American Conference championship.’ Schmitz, who recently won his 500th game as a Falcon baseball coach, knows a thing or two about winning, and he is happy to have Berti on his team en route to a MAC championship. ‘Jon brings a lot of energy to the field,’ Schmitz said. ‘He is always hustling, not only on the baseball field, but in the classroom, too. (Those are the) type of men we’re looking for.’ The next step toward winning a MAC Championship is a home-and-home series with Eastern Michigan today and tomorrow starting at Steller Field.