NEA Sports is dedicated to following the high school career of Valley View Blazer Slade Caldwell from high school all the way to the collegiate level . Slade is one of the top junior baseball players in the country . This is our third feature in an annual four-piece series that highlights Slade in his athletic journey .
1 . You are now a junior season closing in on the final year of your high school playing career . What do you know now about yourself that you wish you knew two to three years ago ? I wish I knew that I was going to make a lot of mistakes and have quite a few disappointments . I would tell myself to make sure and slow down , breathe , and try not to force things . Baseball seasons are long and one game or at-bat does not define you . Also , take time to enjoy where you are , what you are doing and who you get a chance to be around and learn from . 2 . You guys came up just short of winning back to back state titles last season . You have had a taste of winning it all and watching the other team win it all . What was that feeling like last year ? Losing was heartbreaking . We were a few innings from winning back to back championships . I ’ m not going to lie , I have lost sleep over that game . Harrison never quit , had some things go their way and won a 10-inning dog fight . I definitely learned a lot from that loss . 3 . What do you guys have to do this season to get back to winning another state title ? We have to take each game pitch by pitch , out by out . We have to do the little things right . If we all stay focused each game , push each other to do our best , and shake off the mistakes we make , we will be a hard team to beat . 4 . Things are different and going to be more challenging as you move up into class 5A . Talk about some of the new opponents that you will face and who you look forward to squaring off against . We have a really tough non-conference schedule that should help get us ready to play in the 5A-East . There are some good players and teams in our conference . I look forward to competing against Batesville , Marion and GCT . 5 . Aside from school ball you have continued to travel all over the country playing baseball . What are some places and events you went to over the last year that you enjoyed and took something from ? I have been to Cary , North Carolina for USA Baseball Player Development Program and attended a PDP camp at Rice University . I was instructed by Major League Baseball and college hitting coaches and outfield instructors . I also played in Florida , Georgia , and Arizona . It is great to see guys I have played against and with over the past few years . We get to push each other and work on becoming better players and people . 6 . Is Ole Miss still the place you plan to head to ? I am sure other schools have started to call . How do you handle those situations ? Ole Miss still has my heart . Baseball is very different from other sports for college recruiting . Once you verbally commit to a school , there ’ s a gentleman ’ s agreement among the coaches to not go after the committed player . 7 . As your stock continues to rise , you are going to ultimately have to start making the decision of whether to attend college and play baseball or potentially be drafted and go pro . That ’ s a decision that very few kids get to make . What are your thoughts on this ? It is a surreal thing . I dreamed about playing in the MLB since I was six or seven 7 years old . That is my ultimate goal . But there are still so many things that go into that decision . If you ask me today where I will be in two years , I would say I want to be where God plans for me to be . I will continue to work every day to get an opportunity to start as a freshman at Ole Miss . 8 . I caught up with Coach Allison not long ago and he really bragged on your efforts in the weight room . He said you had put on a ton of muscle specifically in your upper body . Do you have a new routine ? What has committed you to working out ? It has been a motivator reading scouting reports talking about my “ small frame ” and lack of power . My routine is consistency - not missing work outs or making excuses , even during football season or traveling . And I eat real food , lots of food and drink lots of water . I love working out . 9 . One thing that doesn ’ t get talked about a ton but should is how well you perform on the mound . While pitching may not be what lands you at the highest level , you certainly are one of the top pitchers in Northeast Arkansas . Talk about pitching in big game situations , including the state championship , and your arsenal of pitches . What do you do best and what still needs work ? I pitch when I am needed . I do not like losing so my goal is to compete with every pitch . Striking out people is ok , but I will take a one pitch ground out any day . The state championship loss happened . Lessons were learned and it was not fun . I throw a two-seam fastball , four-seam fastball , change up , curve ball , and I ’ ve been working on a new pitch . I will always continue to work on my velocity . 10 . Finally , what do you want to see yourself do more of this year on the baseball diamond ? I want to see our team succeed and exceed our goals . If we set new records , that ’ s great , but it will be a team effort that gets us back to the championship and in the W column . I can ’ t wait to be a part of this season with these guys .