This time of the year, students who are looking to transfer are looking at which four-year college they’re applying to. For some college athletes, it’s also time to commit to four-year sports teams.
Behind the scenes, there’s years of hard work.
For Delta’s baseball team that work can equal long days.
“Study hall at 8 a.m., classes ‘till noon, mental game training at 1 p.m., baseball on the field after that, weights after that. So it’s a long day ‘till night. They put a ton of work in in the classroom, and on the field, and in the weight room,” said baseball head coach Reed Peters.
The baseball team’s commits aren’t feeling the nerves that may come with transferring to a bigger school.
“I’d say I’m pretty excited to pursue my career at a four-year level and see where I go from there,” said pitcher Fidel Ulloa, who will be transferring to Louisiana State University.
Pitcher Timmy Reeve, who will be transferring to San Jose State, said: “I’m extremely excited to see what pathways open up.”
The players see transferring as an opportunity to pursue the goals that they have tirelessly worked towards. Players like catcher Logan Mock, who is transferring to University Southern Indiana, sees transferring as an opportunity to see new things.
Being recruited to a four-year sports team isn’t easy.
First a player profile is created for recruiters to know which players are available for recruitment. Players compile videos, so that recruiters who aren’t able to see them in person can still see what they’ve got.
There is also an issue of limited opportunities.
“There’s only 11.7 scholarships in the Division 1 level for 35 players,” said Peters regarding the baseball team’s opportunities.
Some scholarships are only partial, which means student athletes have to put in the work to receive academic scholarships as well.
“Work hard keep your grades up, number one, because you have to have good grades to go to division one, and in baseball especially, a lot of the money is academic,” said Peters.
The excitement that athletes feel when they are committed to a four-year can also be felt by prospective athletes.
“Just go for it, don’t really think about what other people have to say about it; if that’s what you want to do then follow your path and it will work out,” said pitcher William Watson, who is transferring to University of Southern California.
Committing to a four-year is proof that hard work never goes unrewarded.
“Just keep working and never give up and good things will happen,” said Reeve.
Countless hours of practice, games, academics, and more come together to create new pathways for student athletes.