The Baseball Observer May 2015 vol 3 | Page 32

Most high school baseball players hear from many different sources of what to expect or anticipate when they get to college to play baseball. This will be a series of interviews with actual players who are there now. JUCO players who have moved on to 4 year schools, NCAA DI players who have transferred, players who have been with one school and everything in between. This is in their words, decisions why and what they experienced so future players can get a clearer picture of what to expect. Q: What was your biggest challenge during your college search while in high school? A: For me the biggest challenge was probably deciding what coach could better me the most and being able to have an opportunity to play right away all while still picking a program that wins a lot. Q: Your first two years were in JUCO. What made you choose a JUCO school over the CCCAA, NWAC, NAIA or NCAA school? A: Well I didn’t have many options to begin with in the first place but I knew that I wanted to play junior college because I wanted to be able to play a lot right away instead of sit for two years because that is how a lot of four year schools work. Q: How did JUCO prepare you for playing NCAA? A: It helped me mature a ton physically and mentally. I got to have 300+ at bats against solid pitching and with wood bats. It definitely helped the transition. Q: Colorado Mesa is an NCAA DII school. Why did you choose Mesa? A: Of course I wanted to play DI like almost every athlete does but in the end I decided that Mesa was my best option to have a chance to win championships and make an impact. Q: Q: What did you noticed first about the players you play with and against once you started playing college baseball? A: I noticed that the game moved a little faster than it did in high school and the talent of each player was obviously better. I couldn’t succeed just by showing up and not working hard.