Advice for Aspiring Baseball Players

If you're serious about playing baseball at the collegiate or professional level, one of the best things you can do is actively pursue opportunities to get noticed. Attend camps, clinics, showcases, and tryouts—these environments are designed to connect players with coaches and scouts, and they’re valuable even beyond exposure because they sharpen your skills under pressure.

But if opportunities feel limited—due to finances, location, or other barriers—don’t stop grinding. Reach out to coaches directly. Email college programs, share your game film, and make the effort to be seen. Persistence matters. There are countless stories of athletes who got recruited not just because of talent, but because they kept showing up, kept improving, and kept believing.

Keep working on your game, but also put in the time in the weight room and take care of your body. Strength, speed, and durability are all parts of the package scouts are looking for.

Stay hungry, stay humble, and keep pushing. Your shot might come when you least expect it—but only if you’re ready.

My Journey

From Injury to Opportunity, and Beyond.

During the spring baseball season of my junior year in high school, I tore my ACL. The recovery process was brutal, which included eight long months of rehab. When I finally returned for my senior season, I was healthy and ready, but I had no offers and no schools reaching out.

Still, I didn’t give up.

I earned a walk-on opportunity at an NCAA Division II school in South Dakota. That door opened not just because of my athletic ability, but also because I had a strong academic scholarship and financial aid package—proof that academics matter just as much as athletics.

That fall, I went all in. I hit for a high average, played solid defense, and made big strides in the weight room. I showed up every day with a chip on my shoulder with something to prove to myself.

Then came winter meetings. I was told I’d be redshirted. There was a senior catcher ahead of me, and the staff wanted me to keep developing. I embraced the role and traveled with the team as the bullpen catcher. Twenty games into the season, our starting catcher got injured. The coaches turned to me:

“Be ready. We’re pulling your redshirt.”

I made my debut against nationally ranked St. Cloud State. I finished the year catching every game,  where I hit .269 with an OBP of .406, along with throwing out 12 of 16 base stealers during a 21 game stretch.

The Next Chapter

After that season, I transferred to Mesa Community College, one of the top JuCo programs in the country. I played under coach Anthony Cirelli. I fit in extremely well into the culture that defined the program. Being closer to my family in Mesa and Las Vegas made it even more meaningful.

However, after being pre-season ranked #2 in all of NJCAA and starting 10-0, COVID-19 cut that season short. On the bright side, my performance had already opened more doors for my future. I received around 20 offers from Division I, Division II, and NAIA programs.

Focused on my goal of playing or working in professional baseball, I chose to stay in Arizona and attend Park University Gilbert under Head Coach Kelly Stinnett, a former MLB catcher. His experience and leadership pushed my game and knowledge to a new level.

Another Setback, Another Comeback

Heading into my final season at Park, just three days before our first game, I tore my other ACL. It was devastating. I missed the entire season and spent the next eight months rehabbing, physically and mentally pushing through one of the toughest times of my life.

But I refused to let that be the end.

I came back for one final season. It wasn’t easy, but the grind, the patience, and the perseverance through it all ultimately led to the biggest opportunity of my life: a position as a bullpen catcher with the Chicago Cubs in Arizona.

Why I’m Sharing This

If you’re an aspiring ballplayer, here’s my advice: chase every opportunity. Go to camps, clinics, showcases, and tryouts. Get seen. And if you’re not getting the looks, reach out to schools, send film, make the calls. Be your own advocate.

Stay strong in the classroom, work hard in the weight room, and above all, never stop believing—even when it feels like everything is working against you.

Tearing both ACLs, missing seasons, and starting with no offers could’ve been the end. But because I stayed ready, stayed persistent, and kept working, I now have the chance to live out a dream in professional baseball.

You never know when your moment will come. Just make sure you're ready when it does.