Perhaps it could be construed as something of life’s periodical kick in the gut when your older brother takes a coaching job on the team you play for — one of those cringy made you flinch adolescent moments.
Yet when it comes to the baseball-blooded Siedem brothers, the scenario was seen as simply “one of the more natural things” they do together.
Matt Siedem, the former Silver Creek slugger who went on to catch for Hofstra University, is bringing his expertise to Monarch coach Scott Weiss’ varsity squad this spring after helping out the program in summer ball. And by doing so, he joins younger brother Sean, the team’s talented first baseman who is set to finish his high school career on a high note before looking to extend his baseball dream into college.
It’s all familiar territory to them.
“If you see us on the field we’re always laughing, we’re always in a good mood,” Matt said. “But we have a pretty good balance of knowing when to get stuff done.”
With the game never far from conversation in the Siedem household, the brothers grew up in New York Yankees fandom passed on by their father Chris, a former player who has never steered far from the game himself. Their older sister, Amanda, meanwhile, was a standout softball player at Silver Creek before going on to play at Rollins College, then Williams College.
As for the brothers’ newest endeavor — it, of course, comes on the baseball field, a place they never seem to stray too far from. For them, the teetering highs and lows of the game are level bliss.
“Our whole lives have revolved around baseball,” Matt said. “Baseball this, baseball that. Our downtime has always been centered around baseball, so (Sean and I) are just doing that in an official sense.”
Matt, who is currently figuring out his next steps after a baseball career in which he earned a Gold Glove at West Hills College in California before transferring to Hofstra, now dreams of one day doing play-by-play for the sport.
For now, though, he said he is enjoying more time around the game, and around Sean, who like his older siblings is currently looking at the junior college route before trying to move to something bigger.
“(Matt) has always been sort of a coach to me,” Sean said following practice last week. “Him being my older brother, of course I’ve always looked up to him and as a kid I always did everything he did and just wanted to be like him. So, I mean it’s really not any different than how we grew up. He’s always been teaching me the game.”
Today, the brothers aim to help Monarch compete for a chance to win the 5A Front Range League title. Last year, eight of the Coyotes’ 12 losses were by three or less runs as they finished two games back of the league lead.
“The two of them just bring this energy and dynamic to the whole team that is infectious,” Weiss said. “They both just have this passion for baseball and this desire to be the best players they can be but also for the rest of the players to be great around them.”
The brothers leave practice for the day, but never baseball. When they get home, they quickly flip to MLB Network and again are submerged in the game.
“It’s really how we’ve always been as a family,” Sean said. “It’s what we do.”
Cream of the crop: 2019 BoCoPreps.com All-region team
First Team (Name, 2019 class, school )
C Doug Blankenship, Sr., Boulder; C Chris Gumeson, Sr., Longmont; INF Zach Becker, Sr., Holy Family; INF Trenton Harris, Jr., Broomfield; INF Collin Kringlen, Sr., Holy Family; INF Tanner Regan, Sr., Silver Creek; INF Brady Renck, Sr., Longmont; OF Chase Esplin, Jr., Legacy; OF Luke Martin, Sr., Monarch; OF Spencer Rich, Sr., Silver Creek; OF Teddy Schoenfeld, Sr., Boulder; DH Nathan Poretz, Sr., Peak to Peak; DH Kyle Saunders, So., Longmont Christian; P Caleb Ayers, Sr., Mead; P Zach Given, Sr., Monarch; P Weston Siefken, Sr., Holy Family; P Jon Thoren, Sr., Erie; P Michael Wegleitner, Jr., Silver Creek; UTIL Simon Dodge, Sr., Dawson School.
Honorable mention
Ryan Bacca, Sr., Frederick; Greysen Carter, So., Fairview; Juan Chaparro, Sr., Skyline; Dorsey Chatham, Jr., Boulder; Trevor Erickson, Sr., Centaurus; Matt French, Jr., Mead; Tucker Heroux, Sr., Dawson; Max Higdon, Sr., Peak to Peak; David Hopkins, Jr., Fairview; Charlie Jackson, Jr., Silver Creek; Nick Jacobs, Jr., Mead; J.D. Jones, So., Fairview; Blake Labuda, Sr., Legacy; Nolan Marthaler, Jr., Erie; Davis Martinek, Sr., Holy Family; Jordon McFarland, Sr., Holy Family; Nate McGregor, Sr., Skyline; Gavin Mendoza, Jr., Erie; Devon Nowells, So., Longmont; Leif Nuesken, Sr., Longmont; Micah Sheets, So., Niwot; Brayden Rizzi, Sr., Centaurus; Rafael Ruiz Jr., So., Lyons; Macully Sehr, So., Legacy; Ryan Sena, Sr., Broomfield; Garrett Shriver, Jr., Peak to Peak; Elian Soto, Jr., Jefferson Academy; Tim Stokes, Jr., Niwot; Justin Swenson, Sr., Silver Creek; Jake Thiret, Sr., Prospect Ridge Academy.
