Sophomore pitcher represents CACC on national committee.

These are exciting and transformative times in college athletics. Such issues as the transfer portal, name, image and likeness (NIL), and gender equity are changing the landscape of NCAA sports while empowering student-athletes.

And sophomore Scott Borgmann Jr., a promising pitcher on the Wilmington University baseball team, finds himself in the midst of it all.

Last March, Borgmann was elected to the NCAA Division II National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), representing the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) at the national level. He is the first Wilmington University student-athlete to serve on the committee. 

With 24 members, the SAAC is the primary governance arm representing student-athlete interests in Division II affairs. Members serve as student-athlete liaisons who monitor and discuss happenings on campuses, within conference, and at the national level.

Borgmann, an excellent student and one of four baseball players on WilmU’s SAAC, was notified about his nomination to the national committee by his head coach, Brian August, during practice in February. August and the rest of his staff enthusiastically endorsed the idea, telling Borgmann that serving on the committee would be a terrific opportunity for him to grow as a student-athlete while making valuable connections.  

Calling it “an honor to represent and serve the CACC,” Borgmann says, “I’m very passionate about providing a voice for collegiate student-athletes and I want to make a positive difference for our division. I know this leadership role is going to come with challenges, but I’m ready to work with my fellow student-athletes to take them on.”

“I’m very passionate about providing a voice for collegiate student-athletes and I want to make a positive difference for our division.” — Scott Borgmann

“We are tremendously excited that Scott will have a chance to represent Wilmington University and our Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference on the NCAA National SAAC,” says Athletic Director Dr. Stefanie Whitby. “He will have a chance to collaborate with student-athlete leaders from across the country and top NCAA administration. There are a lot of significant changes taking place right now in collegiate sports and Scott will have a first-row seat to these important conversations.” 

In April, Borgmann attended his first meeting — for Division II East Region schools — in Pittsburgh. Some 200 student-athletes and faculty members attended, he says. 

Meetings are scheduled throughout the year in such cities as Indianapolis, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Nashville, culminating with the annual NCAA Convention in January in San Antonio. The NCAA covers all travel expenses and hotel accommodations.

While his committee work has been demanding, it also has enabled the Sports Management major to get a solid understanding of the increasingly complex rules governing college athletics. And, as his coaches predicted, he has established important connections. Charlie Baker, who became NCAA president in March, was among the many people he met during the five-day Pittsburgh event. 

“In today’s world,” says Borgmann, “relationships and connections are what lead to opportunities. I plan to be a professional baseball scout, and being in this position and being able to learn from some of the best in the business will help tremendously for when I become a scout.”

As a freshman in 2022, the graduate of Calvert Hall College High School, in Towson, Maryland, appeared in eight games on the mound for the Wildcats, with one start. Pitching 17 innings, he was 2-1, and struck out 14 batters. At the plate, he went 6-for-17, with three doubles and three RBIs.

Borgmann sat out last season as a result of Tommy John surgery, but August is counting on the 6-0, 185-pound right-hander to be a regular in the Wildcat pitching rotation this fall. “Scott is one of our better pitchers,” August says, “and he’s a leader both on and off the field. He’s truly an ideal student-athlete.”

“He’s a leader both on and off the field. He’s truly an ideal student-athlete.” —  Brian August

Now in his 19th year as the Wildcat skipper, August was named CACC Coach of the Year for the third time in 2022 as he led WilmU to victory in the CACC Tournament for the ninth time since 2007. 

“He’s easily the best coach I’ve ever had when it comes to baseball knowledge and relating to a player, because he was a good player himself,” Borgmann says. “I’m a big proponent of being pushed every day, and he pushes his guys and makes them tough. He prepares you for life, because life is tough.”

But, he adds, “I love Aug and I know he loves me.”

— By Bob Yearick