Some of our players want to get to the next level and play. If this is not for you, that is perfectly fine. My encouragement to all of our players is to commit their best in our program to become the best Mustang they can be. And do it for the Lord and your teammates.
Through the years, though, we've also had a number of players who have expressed interest in playing baseball at the college level. This post addresses what it takes to get there.
First of all, we have compiled some great information regarding the nuts and bolts of what it takes to get to the next level. I'd encourage you to check out the "College Bound Athletes" tab on our website.
Beyond the great info contained on our website, I'd like to offer some advice based on my research, experience as a high school coach, and myriad conversations with other coaches, scouts, and other people in the know regarding what it takes to play college ball.
To play in college, the following is strongly encouraged/recommended:
1) Work on your game year-round. If you lack the passion to work on your game in the off-season on a regular basis 4-5 days/week, you likely like the passion needed to succeed at the college level. This doesn't mean you're a bad guy. It just means that you are probably not cut out to be a a college player;
2) Related to 1), make sure that you play in the off-season, as well (at least in the summer or fall, if not both). By this, I mean that you play more than the very short summer season at the Cooper League;
3) Earn respect and cultivate relationships in the game, but especially with coaches. Guess who are the first people contacted by a college coach;
4) And guess what a college coach wants to know ... What is the player's work ethic like? How does the player handle adversity? What kind of student is he? What is is GPA? (You know, these coaches want players who will succeed academically and not become academic casualties.) Is he respectful and a good teammate? Does he have a presence on the field? What kind of young man is he? These considerations are not secondary ... they are primary. Wow. Think about this for a minute. Once a college coach realizes that a player has the ability to play college ball (there are lots of players such as this), he wants to make sure that the player is the kind of young man who can succeed in college and in a game/environment with many pitfalls; and
5) Most fundamentally, cultivate your character. To succeed at anything worthwhile, a person needs relentlessness and a commitment to his chosen mission. If God has called you to play baseball, then get to it ... and with no apologies. I don't apologize for being a coach; I do apologize for being a lawyer, but that's another story. But really, I jest. I realize that my calling from God is just as sacred as if I were on the mission field. It's what He made me to do. Be relentless. Be positive. Be the kind of young man who refuses to be discouraged. You will get opportunities, as a result. In fact, I believe you will be a magnet for them.
Finally, I am reminded of a passage from "The Mental Game": "A winner knows that the verb 'to be' must precede the verb 'to have'."
All of us would do well to work harder and more deliberately at what we are called to do.
