By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Joey Stock is 22 years old, which means the Saint John's University senior has spent roughly half his life taking classes and excelling in athletics on-campus in Collegeville.

Stock was a member of the first group of sixth-graders (below) to enroll at Saint John's Preparatory School in the fall of 2009. He went on to become a baseball standout and 1,000-point scorer on the basketball court before graduating in 2016.

He then moved on to Saint John's University, where he was a four-year starter on the baseball team, an All-MIAC honoree and a 2020 D3baseball.com Preseason All-American. Which means he and fellow classmate Gabe Johnson (who also enrolled at SJP as a sixth-grader in 2009) are the first students to be able to label themselves as 11-year Johnnies.

"I'm so proud to be able to call myself an 11-year Johnnie," Stock said. "That's something I'll always wear as a badge of honor."

But even before all that, the campus was essentially Stock's second home. 

His father, Tom, is a longtime employee at SJU, having served the school as athletic director from 2006-16. He is now as a senior development officer in the SJU Office of Institutional Advancement.

"I can remember hanging out in my dad's office talking to (former football coach) John Gagliardi and (former basketball coach) Jim Smith, (baseball coach) Jerry Haugen and (former hockey coach and 1980 U.S. Olympic gold medalist) John Harrington, all the legends who have been around here over the years," Joey Stock recalled.

"This campus was really like my backyard. I was always here shooting hoops in the gym or just killing time. I've grown up at Saint John's and I have so many fond memories of this place."

But now Stock's time as a student and athlete in Collegeville is drawing to a close – and not in the way he or anyone else could possibly have expected.

With on-campus classes and events canceled for the remainder of the semester as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Stock and his fellow seniors are finishing their classes online. They had to bid an abrupt in-person farewell to friends and classmates when the decision was announced in March.

Traditional events like Commencement, Senior Dinner and others are on hold. And the spring sports season – one for which Stock and his teammates had justifiably high hopes – has been called off.

"I can't sugarcoat it," he said. "That's been hard. Everyone understands the reason. Health and safety have to come first. But when you think of all the sacrifice and hard work we've put in with the vision of what our senior year could be like – not just in baseball, but in everything – it was really tough to see it come to a halt just like that. 

"It's been an emotional time."

As it has for so many, the pandemic has also led to uncertainty when it comes to Stock's future plans.

In addition to the Johnnies, he has also played for the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League the past two summers. In 2019, he was selected to play in the league's Major League Dreams Showcase, making him one of the NWL's top 75 players as selected by Major League Baseball scouts.

Given that resume, he had aspirations of being selected in this year's MLB draft, or at least signing a contract to play professionally somewhere. 

But those dreams are on hold for now.

"With this pandemic and everything it involves, everybody has a lot of questions," Stock said. "And there just aren't a lot of answers right now. I had planned to have it all figured out by the time I graduated. I'd have a good idea about whether or not I had a chance to get drafted, or at least play pro ball. But now everything is still up in the air."

The communication major is weighing his options. He is again planning to play for the Rox if the NWL is able to hold some version of a season this summer. 

And with the NCAA granting an additional year of eligibility to this year's senior spring sports athletes, a post-graduation transfer to a Division I school where he could pursue graduate studies and perhaps demonstrate his skills to pro scouts at a higher level is a possibility as well.

But there is also a job offer at Granite Logistics in Sartell, Minn., to ponder.

Assistant coach Jason Spohn, who helped convince Stock to make baseball his collegiate sport of choice four years ago, said he still believes Stock's is in a good position to play professionally if he wants to.

But he said he will be successful at whatever he chooses to do.

"We've gone from hoping Joe would choose baseball over his first love, basketball, to him having a high chance to be drafted this spring," Spohn said, reflecting back on how far Stock has come in four years.

"Of course, all that has changed with the (pandemic), but the future is still very bright for Joe should he choose to pursue a career in baseball. He's in a good spot considering how things have changed.

"He will probably play for the Rox this summer when they get started. With the draft being shortened, the Northwoods League will be filled with scouts looking to sign guys. He also has a lot of interest from DII and DI schools offering him opportunities as a grad transfer like (teammate) Wyatt (Ulrich)," Spohn said.

"As far as what he's meant to the program, Joe hasn't changed since day one. He's always been a team-first guy and he's done as much for the team off the field as he has on it."

Stock said such leadership characteristics can be attributed to the extensive time he's spent on campus in Collegeville.

"Saint John's has done more than anybody could possibly imagine for both myself and my family," he said. "I've been so lucky to have gotten to meet so many great people. I've had the best education and athletic experience a guy could ever ask for."