Tom Deckert

By day Tom Deckert is busy watching over the infrastructure of Florida State University. He is the Assistant Director / Building Official responsible for ensuring that new building construction, additions, alterations, repairs, remodeling or demolitions and all installations of building systems meet Florida Building Code requirements. These include all electrical, plumbing, mechanical, gas, gas fuel, fire prevention, energy conservation, accessibility, storm-water and floodplain management requirements. The size of the campus, coupled with the number of buildings, ensure that Tom’s daily schedule is chaotic and ever-changing.

Ryan and Nick

It is at nighttime, however, that Tom takes on his biggest challenge. He is the father of identical twin boys, Ryan and Nick, now seniors at Leon High School. When the twins were just six years old, Tom and wife Maria signed the boys up for T-ball. Their goal was to provide a learning opportunity for the boys and to teach them the value of being a part of a team.

The practice and hard work paid off for Nick and Ryan on January 31, 2011 when they signed scholarships to play baseball at Tallahassee Community College. Their excellent pitching skills (both pitch left-handed) coupled with their high GPA’s ensured they had many offers. After carefully weighing all their options the young men signed, together as always, in their hometown. TCC’s head baseball coach Mike McLeod was all smiles as he watched Ryan and Nick sign the documents that will make them a part of the TCC pitching team.

Ryan, Nick and Coach McLeod

As identical as they are in looks, their pitching style is also very similar. They have been starting pitchers for Leon High since 2008. During Summer 2010 Ryan and Nick were the starting pitchers for the World of Baseball Showcase and participated in several national events, both maintaining ERA’s under 2.0.

In one way it is the end of one chapter in the Deckert household and the beginning of another. Nick and Ryan will graduate Leon High School and move on to pitch for the TCC Eagles, while embarking on their college years. Some things, however, will remain the same. As these young men spread their wings and travel the road to adulthood, Mom and Dad will still spend endless hours going to away games, watching the local games, and spending time with their sons. And they would not change a thing.