University of North Carolina Athletics
Degrees In Hand, Baseball Alums Take On New Challenges
June 21, 2017 | Baseball, Academics
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – With professional baseball careers behind them, Andrew Carignan and Tim Fedroff are pointed toward their next successes and took a big step in that direction on May 14 when they both graduated from UNC.
The two are latest in a long line of Carolina baseball players who have left school early for professional careers but made returning for their degrees a priority. When they graduated in May as part of the Class of 2017, with Brian Holberton also part of that group, it made a total of 27 players during head coach Mike Fox's 19-year tenure in Chapel Hill who left school for professional careers and subsequently returned to graduate.
And now, with diplomas in hand, Carignan and Fedroff are poised for a new challenge. They've launched a business venture, GYMNow, an app for finding and purchasing day passes to gyms throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, with plans to continue to expand. Users can browse amenities and purchase a one-day membership through the app, which is now live and available for download.
“What's so appealing about what we're doing is that it's similar to baseball in that it's super competitive,” Fedroff said. “We don't know what the challenge is going to be day in and day out because it's a brand new thing. There are a lot of parallels with baseball. I think that's kind of what drew us to it.”
Additionally, GymNOW is filling a need both experienced during their professional baseball careers when training during the offseason. “We're trying to fix a problem that we experienced when we were playing,” Carignan said. “Whether you're a professional athlete or just someone who wants to get in a workout while traveling, GymNOW makes it easy to find the right place.”
Carignan, a right-handed pitcher from Norwich, Conn., was a fifth-round pick in the 2007 draft at the end of his junior year. He played for nine seasons, seven of them in the Oakland A's organization, including a stint in the majors. After retiring in 2014, he returned to Chapel Hill and carried a full course load through three semesters at UNC to finish in May. He majored in management and society and ultimately minored in sustainability, an academic path that wasn't even an option when he was at North Carolina the first time around. “It's really cool because I left and found out who I was away from baseball and then I was able to come back and the curriculum corresponded,” he said.
Fedroff left Chapel Hill following the 2008 season, his sophomore year. A seventh-round pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, he played six seasons for the Cleveland Indians organization, climbing as high as Triple A. He started classes again in the summer of 2015, after having been released by the Miami Marlins on the final day of spring training. “I went from spring training with the Marlins to an 8 a.m. Economics 101 class five weeks later,” said Fedroff, an outfielder from Flagtown, N.J. “Coming back to UNC was always in the back of my mind – I knew I was going to do it no matter how well my baseball career went. It just felt like the right time.”
While finishing his degree, Fedroff spent a summer studying abroad in Central and Eastern Europe through a Kenan-Flagler Business School program. “It's something I'd always wanted to do but I wasn't ever able to because I was always playing in the summer,” he said. “I had an awesome time – it was amazing.” After that, he came back for two more semesters before finishing in May with a major in economics and a minor in business.
Being back in Chapel Hill full-time has given both an even deeper appreciation for UNC.
“The great thing about Carolina is the culture – with athletics, you've got to be competitive, you want to win, everybody is very good at what they do,” Fedroff said. “But at the same time everybody takes academics very seriously. And after you leave Carolina and talk to people who are in other programs, you find that's not always the case.
“It's tough to balance it when you're a student-athlete. It takes some time. Some people it takes a little longer than others, but for me coming back with just academics as my primary focus, you find out how many resources are available at UNC and how great the staff is.”
Another new opportunity that arose while they were back at Carolina was the chance to work with Launch Chapel Hill, a local business accelerator that's a partnership between UNC, the Town of Chapel Hill and Orange County. GymNOW was accepted into Launch's seventh cohort, providing Carignan, Fedroff and their team access to tools, including key partnerships and analytics support, that allowed them to get the venture up and running. Currently they're traveling and networking throughout the Southeast in an attempt to get as many gyms on board as possible, providing an even better experience for the app's users.
Even while completing their degrees and building the foundation of their business, the two have kept in close touch with the UNC baseball program. Like many former Tar Heel players, they visited often during their professional careers, but being around campus on a daily basis has strengthened the connection. And while they enjoy the camaraderie, it's likely the current players are the larger beneficiaries of the relationship, gaining a valuable perspective about life at the next level from those who have first-hand experience.
“I've been around the team a good bit when I was still playing and since I've been back,” Carignan said. “ I'm close with the coaching staff, and I can relate to the players, too. With the pro ball experience, we have a lot to give those guys. Thinking back to myself when I was 20, there are so many things I had no idea about. Having guys that were here at UNC and then come back is a valuable resource for those younger guys about to embark on that professional career.”
The first advice he'd give? “Enjoy it because it goes fast,” Carignan said. “Appreciate being here and playing for the name on the front of your jersey and playing with all your best friends. When you get to the minor leagues, your teammates are your competitors at the same time. You're playing for the name on the back. It's just a different experience.”
Even while focused on professional baseball, both knew that wouldn't be the only career they'd ever have. After many years of dedicating their lives to the sport, last month's graduation set them up for this next step. After all, proper positioning is just as crucial in life as in baseball.
“I always wanted to see what was out there other than the game of baseball,” Fedroff said. “I want to take on new challenges.”
Degrees completed, Carignan and Fedroff are doing just that.