Their relationship survived an early beanball, near continuous separation and endless debate about who was the better athlete … but Bearcat alums Scott Diamond and Katie Kerrigan have prospered and are now enjoying a quieter life with their young son in New York City. But the early years weren't easy.
 
Scott and Katie first crossed paths as sophomores at Binghamton during the 2005-06 school year. Katie's soccer team was in the Events Center weight room in the early morning and Scott would be in there on his own getting his daily workout in before classes. However, he remembers their formal introduction occurring in rather deflating fashion.  
 
"I first introduced myself to Katie at the baseball house," he says. "I had heard about her through the grapevine so I assumed she might have heard about me. I asked if she knew who I was … and she replied, 'I have no idea who you are.'"
 
Diamond, meanwhile, was beginning to perfect his pitching craft and the 2006 baseball team posted its highest win total in five seasons of Division I (27). But earlier in the year, a Kerrigan-led women's soccer team won 10 games, finished third in the America East and reached the tournament semifinals. She was known as a no-nonsense defender who shared very few niceties with opposing forwards.
 
"I saw Katie on the soccer field and she was incredible to watch," Scott says. "She was competitive, determined and fearless."
 
It seems a healthy competition was brewing about who was the more accomplished athlete … a debate that rages on today.
 
"One of our best dating moments was when we went to a local park because Katie wanted me to pitch to her and she thought she could hold her own," Scott says. "We borrowed a metal bat and a bucket of balls from the batting cages and I started tossing her some … half-effort. As I'm throwing to her a small group of people started sitting on the benches watching and she's hitting most of them so I start ramping it up a bit. She's still hitting them and now she is letting it be known, celebrating after every swing. Well, there's a crowd and I can't look bad so I wind up and throw one a little too sharp; it drills her in the leg and she just crumples. The crowd is stunned as she is rolling on the ground screaming bloody murder that I hit her on purpose. I realize I have just smoked my girlfriend in the leg trying to one-up her."
 
"People tell me I'm crazy but I truly believe I am the better athlete," Katie says. "Although Scott is considered a professional athlete, I do not consider throwing a ball a major example of athleticism. I believe I am the better athlete because I can do more athletic things such as play soccer, tennis, snowboard, ski, run, etc. All Scott can really do is throw a baseball really well."
 
"From the moment we first started dating there has always been 'friendly' competition," Scott says. "Katie would beat me at mini-golf and think she's the greatest. I'd win at ping pong and I'm the best. It's a vicious cycle and we both love it."
 
Head-to-head competition aside, the couple has had to endure a lot of challenges since Scott began his pro career in 2007. After their junior seasons at Binghamton, he signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves and began working his way up in their minor league system. Katie, meanwhile, returned to Binghamton in 2007-08 for her senior year. Scott's Major League Baseball debut was still three years away and while he trudged through minor league stops in Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi, Katie graduated and immediately enrolled at Hunter College to work on her master's degree in special education.


 
Money was tight and the couple credits their parents for such love and support during this time.
 
"Minor league baseball has many challenges," Katie says. "Scott was often making very little money, traveling on long bus rides and had very little time off. This was difficult to balance with my goals. I was dedicated to getting a dual master's degree and launching my teaching career. We had many challenges early on in our relationship but these challenges allowed us to truly celebrate the many opportunities we have been given."
 
"In the offseason, I was staying with my teammate and close friend, Greg Lane, in Binghamton and commuting every weekend to the City to spend time with Katie," Scott says. "During the season she was flying to wherever I was, often small towns with very little to do. There were times when we would spend months apart with no FaceTime or Skype … only phone calls."
 
Scott's break finally came in December 2010 when the Minnesota Twins claimed him from Atlanta in the Rule 5 Draft, giving him new hope to be afforded a shot at the big leagues. That opportunity came on July 18, 2011 when the Twins called him up from Triple-A Rochester to make his MLB debut. Diamond went 6.1 innings against Cleveland at Target Field in Minnesota and left to a standing ovation from the home crowd. He notched his first MLB victory on August 31, 2011 against the Chicago White Sox, cementing his place in Binghamton history. Diamond wound up notching 19 MLB wins in four seasons and was the Twins' Pitcher of the Year and Most Outstanding Rookie in 2012. He was inducted into BU's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013 and finished his professional baseball career in South Korea in 2017.
 
Katie, meanwhile, began her teaching career at PS 158 on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
 
The couple moved to Harlem and was married in December 2013 in Toronto. Nearly 50 Bearcat friends were in attendance.
 
While Scott was pitching for the SK Wyverns in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Katie gave birth to their son Wes in March 2017. After three months, Katie and Wes joined Scott in Incheon, South Korea – another travel adventure they will cherish.      
 
"Baseball has brought us many places and allowed us to meet wonderful people all around the world," Katie says.
 
"The best part of my baseball career was that it was always a vacation for Katie," Scott says. "No matter where I was … Los Angeles, Durham, Houston … it was always a new adventure or city to explore. We've been incredibly lucky."
 
Now, however, the young family enjoys being settled in NYC. Scott, who finished up his coursework and graduated in 2011, works as a property manager for a new development project. Katie is firmly entrenched as a special education coach at PS 158.
 
They enjoy the outdoors and love to hike with Wes and their close friends, one of whom is former BU softball standout Rose Barre. With their friends Rose and Paige, the Diamonds enjoyed a recent vacation to Argentina that featured treks up glaciers and hikes through deserts and up mountain peaks with breathtaking views.


 
Each preserves fond memories of time at Binghamton with teammates, friends and the Bearcats family.
 
"I am forever grateful to Binghamton and most importantly, Binghamton Athletics as it instilled in me a dedicated work ethic, molded my competitive spirit and fostered an internal drive," Katie says. "Through athletics, I left Binghamton with countless friends – friends who have become family. And last but not least, I met my love and best friend, Scott. I believe we both have mutually supported each other through life's celebrations and more importantly, through life's tribulations. I couldn't ask for a better life partner, father or competitor.
 
"I might not have realized it during my time there," Scott adds … "but Binghamton was all about the people. It was the relationships with my professors, coaches, teammates and all the people who made Binghamton so welcoming."