“Most humans are never fully present in the now because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.”–Echkart Tolle
From the time he stepped into Cedar Ridge, Quinn Finnegan has lived in the moment.
On the mound. In the outfield. Inside the classroom. At the Barn. Even in the bleachers where he’s a regular for Cedar Ridge sports events, including basketball games where his sister Kate played for the varsity her freshman year.
It all paid off on Wednesday night inside Cedar Ridge’s J-wing. Flanked by his mother Maria, his father Tim, Kate and his younger brother Reese, Finnegan formerly signed with Wagner College based out of Staten Island, New York.
It speaks to Finnegan’s character that his signing ceremony packed the J-Wing with parents, well-wishers, administrators and faithful from the Cedar Ridge and Orange baseball communities, two sides that have had its share of contentious moments. On this night, they gathered as one to speak highly of a senior who has overcome obstacles, both abroad and within, and turned it into a Division I opportunity.
Finnegan, a pitcher with Cedar Ridge’s varsity since his freshman year, is a three-time co-Captain. He has been named All-Central Conference three times. A founding member and President of Cedar Ridge’s DECA Club, Finnegan was inducted into the National Honor Society last year, was the Student Class President his freshman year and has a 4.38 grade point average, 31st in his class.
Finnegan, known as “Q” for short, didn’t get a chance to lead as a middle school student because he lost two full athletic years due to the pandemic. By the time he walked into Cedar Ridge head coach Bryson Massey’s office as a freshman in 2020, he knew what his objective would be: to become a Division I college pitcher.
“I knew he could be a captain the first day he stepped inside of Cedar Ridge,” Massey said. “There was no doubt in my mind as a freshman. There was a reason why I put him on varsity. I knew he had it in him. He was a hard worker. He’s the type of guy who embodies what Cedar Ridge baseball is since I’ve been here and what we’re building.”
When Maria Finnegan was pregnant with Quinn, he was due on December 1. He arrived ten days late. That’s why his uniform number is #11.
Tim and Maria, speaking jointly in front of a crowd for the first time since their wedding vows in 2001, discussed their oldest son’s hard work and dedication.
“It’s so easy to just throw those words around,” Maria Finnegan said. “But it’s another thing to literally live it and see hour-by-hour what that looks like.”
For Quinn, there was school daily from 9AM-to-4PM. In the fall and the spring, he would stay after school for practice and games. After practice, there were workouts at the Barn to train from 90 minutes to two hours. He would come home at around 9PM to stretch, shower, ear and go to bed. He would set the alarm for 3AM so he get up to start working out again.
Six days a week.
And that’s just the physical side.
The mental battle Finnegan has endured emboldens the old saying that it’s darkest before the dawn.
Last year, just before the start of his junior season, Finnegan was on the verge of quitting the sport.
“I was really down on myself,” Finnegan said. “I couldn’t do a single thing right in my mind. Nothing was enough for me. I even hated training each day.”
Finnegan credited sessions with sports psychologist Mike Halpern, along with encouragement from Massey and assistant coach Robert Hege, to regain a mindset that would lead to the best season of his career.
When he was in his cradle, Maria and Tim placed little toys to see if a precursor to his young adult life would take shape. There were basketballs, soccer balls and footballs.
Quinn took a liking to a small, green plastic bat, which Tim carried with him to the podium on Wednesday night.
Ryan O’Keefe, who is the public address announcer for Orange baseball, coached Finnegan for the Hillsborough Youth Athletic Association’s Hawks team ages 8-12 team, where the batters faced a pitching machine.
They went 1-18 his first season.
“Somehow, Quinn decided to stay,” O’Keefe said. “Because he was one of the guys who got it. I really believe when you’re good at T-ball, you’ll be good when you’re 16, too. The best kids on my tee ball team are signing to play in college.
O’Keefe required his players to do well academically and asked them to bring their report cards to practice one day. When he was eight, Finnegan attended Montessori School of Durham, which didn’t submit standard letter grades. Finnegan was frantic and asked his mother to intervene. Finnegan asked his teacher to give a letter grade to submit to O’Keefe.
Hege, who has been Finnegan’s travel coach with the Southern Baseball Academy, is as responsible for his physical development as anyone. Behind his house, Hege runs “The Barn,” a gym that started as a carport where plays worked out. Now, it’s a training facility where players from various schools work out.
Finnegan was among the original members of the Barn, starting when he was in the 7th grade. During winter nights, they had to put plastic around the carport to keep the heat inside. When he isn’t at home or at a Cedar Ridge game, his parents correctly assume he’s at the Barn.
“Quinn was one of the OGs at the Barn,” Hege said. “Now, we have about 20 people constantly there.”
Hege talked with several college coaches during Finnegan’s recruitment. When they asked what type of person Quinn was, Hege would tell them a story about Finnegan’s workouts during the COVID-19 lockdown when kids had to stay home from school. Finnegan would show up at the Barn with matchbox cars to give to Hege’s 3-year-old child to break the boredom of the interminable quarantine.
By the time Finnegan turned 16, Hege allowed him to drive from Cedar Ridge practices to the Barn. In between, they would pick up Hege’s youngest son, Shep, from daycare.
Shep and Quinn quickly grew into a first-name relationship. One day, Hege picked up Shep while Quinn was absent.
“Where’s Quinn?” Shep asked his father. “Are we going to his house? Why didn’t he come get me today? You know he’s a better driver than you are.”
Robbie Liner, Orange High’s junior variety men’s basketball coach who coached Finnegan in baseball and basketball, also spoke during the ceremony.
“Everywhere we went, he had a great time,” Liner said.
During one particularly intense basketball game, Finnegan had some choice words for an official as he walked off the floor. It didn’t escape the attention of Liner or Finnegan’s parents. The following day, Quinn emailed a letter of apology to the entire team and their parents.
“That reaffirmed to me that he had parents that were going to keep him on the right path,” Liner said.
Many of Finnegan’s teammates were at Wednesday’s ceremony. So were Landon Dalehite and Mason Cates, both of whom graduated last June and all played with Finnegan for three years.