“Growing up, I had a fantastic childhood,” Phil Imholte said, adding it was filled with baseball and music. Imholte just completed his junior year at SCSU and has played Husky baseball for all three years.

Imholte is a St. Cloud area native, growing up in the Waite Park and Pleasant Lake areas.

Glenn Imholte was not only Imholte’s father but also his role model. He thanks his father for introducing him to both music and baseball. Not only was his father a musician, but also a salesman and loved sports, especially baseball Imholte said.

“His kids were his life and he taught us to always do our best in everything we did,” said Imholte of his late father. Imholte said he is thankful for the time he was able to spend with his dad; he was a great person and a great friend.

“I am thankful for him and what he gave to me. I hope someday I can give it to someone else,” Imholte said.

Imholte’s baseball career started when he was four years old playing BamBam ball for a St. Cloud recreation league.

“At 12 years old I was able to try out for the travel league. It was a big part in the development of the player I became and some of the funnest times,” Imholte said.

Imholte played travel baseball with teammates Logan Birr and Steve Rindelaub, who play with him at SCSU. “It is interesting,” Imholte said of playing with Birr and Rindelaub for about 10 years. “[You] Don’t really get time to step back and realize we’ve been playing together that long.”

While playing travel baseball the Waite Park team went to the World Series twice in Arkansas and North Carolina. Birr and Imholte stayed with the same host family in Arkansas.

The Husky team has played the past couple years in Arkansas. “They [the host family] come to our games when we’re down there and it is nice to see them again,” Imholte said.

“We represent central Minnesota,” Imholte said of Rindelaub, Birr and himself.

Imholte played basketball and baseball throughout high school and played football for three years. “I didn’t like the idea of getting killed [in football] as a little kid,” said Imholte as a reason for taking off a year of football. He added that he also wanted to try fall baseball. Imholte said he did not regret taking the year off of football and enjoyed the experience playing fall baseball.

During high school Imholte played third base and pitched. When coach Dolan recruited Imholte, Dolan wanted him to play outfield because of his speed.

“When I was very small and very young, like 10, I played outfield,” Imholte said on a team his father coached, adding “the only experience I had was standing out there as a 3 foot tall kid.” This was part of Imholte’s reason for being red-shirted for his freshman year, he was learning to play outfield.

SCSU was a good fit for Imholte, being close to home, the mass communications and baseball programs. Imholte said it is nice to live and go to school in St. Cloud, he can just drive across town and do whatever he wants to with his family whenever he wishes.

Imholte has two younger siblings. A sister, Marie, who walked onto the SCSU softball team and just finished her freshman year at SCSU and a brother, Tom, who plays baseball and is a freshman at Cathedral High School. Imholte said that it has been difficult because they cannot always make it to each other’s games but they attend the ones they can.

Going to school while playing baseball can be difficult but Imholte said that communication with the professors is important and getting his stuff done a head of time.

“It is fun during the season with all the guys but school baseball season can be a grinding journey,” Imholte said.

The mass communications major with an emphasis is radio is glad he got into the radio program. Imholte said he always knew he wanted to do something in mass communications but did not know what.

He has recently found an interest in the audio production part of radio. Although Imholte said he has not had time to commit to a radio show he has spent a lot of time getting to know the new multi-track studio SCSU has. If he finishes up his temporary contract with the Brainerd Lunkers and comes back to St. Cloud, Imholte will pursue an internship at Rockhouse Productions.

In the offseason of baseball Imholte wants to become a more disciplined player all around with an emphasis on becoming a disciplined hitter. He also wants to become physically stronger.

During the summer when baseball is done he also wants to enjoy the summer and have some fun.

During his childhood Imholte said he always enjoyed playing sports like activities with his friends. He described a story of an activity his friends and him did when they were younger. They had a park near his house and they would luge down a hill with skateboards on a 5 foot path, two at a time.

“It was very dangerous. I ran over my arm one time,” Imholte said.

Outside of baseball Imholte likes music. He plays the guitar, piano and sings. In high school Imholte was in a band called the “B Team All Stars, we thought we were cool,” Imholte said and added that they even recorded a CD. This year one of Imholte’s friends, Ted and himself won the battle of the bands at St. Johns.

Imholte is also an accompanist at St. Peters Church in St. Cloud.

In his spare time Imholte likes to spend time with friends and play any sports type activities.

“I’m going to graduate. School is number one,” Imholte said of his short term future goals. His future plans also include getting a job he enjoys and seeing what happens.

“I just want to do my best in everything I’m doing and see where it takes me,” Imholte said.