Q: Compare a typical day between Sinclair
and King.
A: Both are pretty similar when it comes to
the structure of a day. In the weight room by
6am. Stretching and weight lifting. Done by
around 7am. Usually on Friday’s you did
workouts on your own. Then classes.
Practice starts around 2-3pm. Practice until
5:30-6:30pm. NCAA rules have different
limits on the amount of hours of practice. In
JUCO, there didn’t seem to be the same
restriction. We seemed to have practiced
more hours during the week.
At Sinclair, pitchers did a lot of running vs the
position players. Here at King, pitchers still
run a lot but the positions players run a lot
too. Much more than at Sinclair. Then you
have study tables during the week.
Q: How do the off season workouts differ
from high school to college?
A: The workouts are more intense and more
baseball specific. The off season workouts in
college are mandatory. In high school they
are voluntary and you go if you want to go.
Not the case in college.
Q: What about “Hell Week?”
A: Yeah. It is pretty tough. The past 3 years I
have seen players quit during or right after.
We did Navy Seal boot camp workouts. We
did Army boot camp workouts. You don’t
come close to doing this in high school. Even
the guys who were in great shape had a
tough time. One day, at one point or
another, everyone had thrown up. Just make
sure you are in decent shape going in. It will
still be tough but you will survive. It really
does help with team work.
Q: You’re there to play baseball, but first is
the education. You mentioned “Study
Tables” earlier. How did/ do the two
programs support you?
A: Study tables are specific times you have to
go to the library to study with other
teammates and it’s mandatory. You actually
have to log in. At Sinclair, if you had a 3.5
GPA you only had to do study table for 2hrs
during the week. If you were under 3.5,
depending on how far below that
determined how many hours. It could be up
to 6hrs for the week. There were times when
someone came to practice with their books
because the coach said they had to study
instead of practice and they sat and studied
while we practiced. Some players at JUCO
came to JUCO because their grades weren’t
good enough to get into a 4 year school. So
coach was trying to get them on track.
At King it’s a little different. If you have a 3.2
GPA or higher you don’t have to do study
tables. Anything under 3.2, then you have to
do a minimum of 2hrs. Again, it depends
how far below to how much study table time.
Q: Are your
grades better
in high school
or college?
A: College.
Classes are
mostly ones I
want to take
and fewer
hours in the
day in class vs.
high school.
You’re in high school 7hrs a day in classes
that mostly don’t interest you. College
classes are more interesting so you want to
be there.
Q: What overall advice would you pass on to
an incoming Freshman baseball player?
A: Mindset. Have to have a positive mind
set. You might be the top player on your
high school team but you’re going to be
where most players were top on their team
too. Be prepared not to play as much as you
were used to. There are 30 players on a
college team – all top players – only 9 can
play at any one time. Always be upbeat –
even if on the bench. Support your
teammates and always bust your butt. And
you have to stay on top of your class work.