MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — For Milwaukee Brewers third base coach Matt Erickson, making the right call sometimes means living with the wrong result.

"Not all sends that get thrown out at the plate are bad sends," Erickson said. "And not all sends that end up being safe are good sends."

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The Appleton native took over as Milwaukee's third base coach this season after previously serving as the team's infield coach. The role requires quick decisions — and, Erickson said, the confidence not to second-guess every one.

"You know, there's some anxiety, of course, but it's not a nervousness of making mistakes," Erickson said. "It's more of an anxiousness for the opportunity."

For Erickson, the opportunity carries extra meaning.

An Appleton West High School graduate, Erickson has spent much of his baseball life connected to Wisconsin. Before joining the Brewers' major league coaching staff, he spent more than a decade managing the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton.

His own major league playing career was brief but memorable.

Erickson appeared in four games for the Brewers in 2004. His only major league hit came July 17 at Wrigley Field — a single off Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.

What happened afterward became one of Erickson's favorite baseball stories.

"So the next day I show up with Lyle Overbay," Erickson said. "Him and I walk into the clubhouse, first ones there, and there's a brand-new ball in my locker. And I pick up the ball and look at it, and it says, 'Matt, F off. Greg Maddux.' And he signed it."

Erickson said he and Overbay immediately started laughing before clubhouse attendants handed him the actual ball from his first hit.

"They did exactly what they said," Erickson said. "They had the facade of the scoreboard and the date, and then Greg Maddux signed that one as well."

Both baseballs remain among the few pieces of memorabilia Erickson has held onto throughout his career.

"I don't collect a lot of stuff. Maybe I should start because I'm in a situation where I probably should," Erickson said. "But those are two balls that are very memorable."

The story became even more meaningful a week later, when Erickson and his wife welcomed their first child.

Their son's name: Maddox.

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"Not only that, but a week later I had my first child — our son who's now 22 years old," Erickson said. "And we named him Maddox."

More than two decades after collecting his only major league hit in a Brewers uniform, Erickson is back with his home-state organization — now making split-second decisions from the third-base coaching box.