Vladeck faced easy competition in his early years of baseball in Washington D.C., and things started out smoothly during his first year as a right-handed pitcher for Amherst. As a rookie, Vladeck made 14 appearances, claiming three wins and 33 strikeouts.
Assistant Coach Duncan Webb '04 played his last two years as a Jeff with Vladeck, and has now coached Joe on the mound for the past two seasons. Webb first noticed Vladeck's potential while playing with him at Amherst. "As a [first-year] you could tell he was an impact player right away," recalls Webb. "Joe was put in tough spots to pitch as a [first-year], such as the NESCAC Championship game against a heavy-hitting Trinity [College] team, but [Head] Coach [Bill] Thurston had confidence in Joe-we all did."
Following a successful first year, Vladeck faced more challenging obstacles in his sophomore campaign. As Vladeck puts it, he "had a few bad games, lost confidence, and then things spiraled out of control." Vladeck, like any baseball player, will tell you how important a clear mindset is during a ballgame. "You can do a good job and not actually succeed," he said. "Sometimes it evens out, and sometimes it doesn't."
The factors that impact the game are innumerable, and this is precisely what makes baseball the complex and captivating sport that America loves. A player's skill, experience or talent is at the mercy of his mind. "When a pitcher has to focus on correcting his mechanics during a game, he has trouble with the task at hand; which is what hurt Joe in his second season," said Webb.
The key to a great baseball player is how he deals with adversity, and Vladeck demonstrated exactly what it takes to be successful in baseball. After his sophomore season, Vladeck took the summer off from baseball for the first time in a very long time. This allowed Joe to clear his mind and reexamine why he loves baseball. "You have to love the game to play well," Vladeck explained. "I missed that my sophomore year and I was determined to get it back."
Joe returned to Amherst after that summer with a revitalized passion for baseball and motivation to recapture the player he was always capable of being. After working hard in the preseason and dedicating most of his time to baseball, Vladeck reclaimed the mound with a transformed sense confidence and enthusiasm. Coach Webb once again took particular note of the fire inside Joe. "He returned for his junior year determined to be a dominant pitcher in the league. His commitment to excellence is what I admire most about Joe," Webb said. "As one of his coaches, I knew Joe was going to give us a great outing every time he took the ball." And Vladeck delivered beyond anyone's expectations.
In the 2005 season, Vladeck racked up impressive accolades with his powerful yet crafty style of pitching. In his NESCAC-dominating arsenal of pitches, Vladeck relies on a fastball in the low 90's, great movement from his two-seam fastball, a sharp slider, a dangerous split-finger fastball and a changeup that freezes even the most impressive hitters. With this repertoire, Vladeck finished first in the NESCAC in earned run average (1.59), strikeouts (64), innings pitched (73.2), and tied for first in wins (7). His ERA was good enough to claim 19th in the nation. Joe's success was discussed all across New England as he earned NEIBA Division III All-New England, NESCAC Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-NESCAC honors. Vladeck also maintained academic excellence with NESCAC All-Academic honors.
Vladeck's experience in his first three seasons at Amherst taught him a number of valuable lessons about baseball, but most importantly, to maintain perspective despite the range of emotions that can occur during a game. He has made it his mission to remind his teammates of this as a tri-captain this season. "It's hard sometimes, but it is crucial in baseball to separate the good from the bad and not let the bad days gain control," he said. This important lesson helps Joe pick up his teammates and ignite a positive attitude on and off the field.
According to Vladeck, one of the most significant aspects of the baseball team is its unity. As tri-captain, he understands the importance of maintaining this unique and essential quality of the program. Vladeck has a deep understanding of the game, his team, and how the two interact. "In baseball, you cannot separate one guy from the rest of the team. It is the captain's job to foster unity and cohesiveness," he said. "On our team, we can fall back on each other instead of pointing fingers."
Throughout his career, Vladeck has gained a remarkable level of respect and admiration from his teammates and coaches. "Vladeck is an extremely positive player who rarely gets down," said second baseman Mark Mazzone '07. "He is an outspoken athlete who leads by example."
"I feel very reassured when he is on the mound because he plays with a great deal of pride and composure," added catcher Joshua Card '08. "He has a calming influence on the field and inspires confidence throughout the team."
Despite a ruptured disc that held him back at the start of this season, Vladeck proved he is still on his game with a sterling performance against Wesleyan University this past Saturday. Vladeck struck out 10 batters in only 6.2 innings and didn't allow any Cardinals to cross the plate.
Amherst is looking forward to another standout season from Vladeck, and his teammates know that they can look for him to pull the team through any hardships that might come their way. Vladeck takes this this responsibility in stride and works hard to make sure that his teammates do the best they can, while still having fun and maintaining perspective.
After interviewing Joe, the one thing that stands out most his not his athletic ability, his impressive statistics, or his desire to win. The thing to remember most about Joe Vladeck is his unwavering, selfless attitude.