Q: You had a rather "unconventional" path to college baseball. Tell us about it.
A: Since I never received an official offer from any school to play college baseball, and financial struggle diminishing many opportunities I had a very “unconventional” path to college baseball. I enlisted in the United States Army in April of my senior year to help myself and my family with the any financial difficulties. I left for basic training in October after I graduated and finished Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) in March the following year. During this time, I was having one of my previous coaches (Gregg Beemer of the Dayton Classics) talking to colleges to possibly find me a place to be involved with a baseball team. I never wanted to give up being around baseball. He had started a deal with the University of Akron that I could possibly go there and bullpen catch. This turned sour a couple of months before I went there, because the school had cut their baseball program. I still attended Akron for one year, where I thought that baseball would be done forever for me. I then passed this table in student union about the club team. I couldn’t resist it, I loved baseball so much that I didn’t care how to be near it, I just wanted to play. This was for my first year of college, but even with the military helping with payments, I couldn’t afford it. I had to transfer somewhere closer to home. I then decided to continue my education at Wright State University. I had played against their club team before after defeating them around 16-1, I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and go out for the varsity team. I found out they were holding walk on tryouts in September. I went to the first day of tryouts, with about 5 other players also trying to make the team. We all found out that there was paperwork that had to be completed before being able to tryout. When we all got sent back for not having the paperwork, I went that night to complete everything, and ended up finishing all of it within 24 hours. I emailed the coach letting him know that I was ready. I went to the field every day for the next 20 days to show how committed I was to at least get the chance to tryout. Finally, after seeing me in the stands for
finishing all of it within 24 hours. I emailed the coach letting him know that I was ready. I went to the field every day for the next 20 days to show how committed I was to at least get the chance to tryout. Finally, after seeing me in the stands for nearly a month let me try out for his team. I took my one shot I had and finally made a college baseball program. So after nearly two years of not playing competitive baseball, I made an extremely prestigious D1 baseball team.
Q: How did training in the Army prepare you for college baseball?
A: I think that my military training is one of the leading factors in making Wright State’s team. Everyone knows that the military is a disciplined group of people, that was because of all the mental preparation that goes into our training. I found that our training was nearly 85% mental while only 15% physical. This was because after so many pushups, and sit ups, and so much running you will become good at all of this. There are so many more mental challenges that will degrade you and break you down before building you up the military way. I let the Army Values of: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage guide me through life. After going through BCT and AIT I was more mentally fit for anything setting my game apart from everyone’s. In my 20 days of waiting for my chance to try out for the team I took that time to mentally approach every situation of the try out. In my mind, I have tried out for the team a thousand times, so all there was left to do was just go out and make it happen.
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