When people think of college athletics they automatically think about the NCAA. They think of all the competitive aspects of the sports. What division are they in? What has their performance been like? What are the odds of the player going pro?
All these questions add to the pressure of being a student athlete at the college level. Don’t believe me? Ask any single one of them and they will tell you that’s the case.
For Will Case, his experience with college athletics has been different because he is not part of the ASU NCAA Baseball team. Instead, Will takes part in the club baseball team at ASU.
His road to baseball started at the age of 5. Case participated in tee ball, little league, and the travel ball from the ages of 8-18. Case credits his father and brother for getting him his start as they both played ball as well.
After his travel ball career ended, Case still wanted to play ball but didn’t see a clear option. Luckily for him he found out about ASU’s club baseball team through his roomate. His roommate’s brother attended ASU and played on the club team.
Case immediately jumped at the opportunity and never looked back. Case has felt very welcomed by the club and feels that he has found an environment to play the sport he loves while also having a life outside of the sport which is important to him.
“ Club baseball has provided me a way to continue playing the game I love. I never thought I’d play baseball at the collegiate level even if it is just club.”
Case is very appreciative of the club’s culture as it has created a space that has fostered new found friendships and unbreakable bonds over the years. Case highlighted the fact that his friendships have gotten stronger this year through team building events.
While Case enjoys the fact that the club team atmosphere is welcoming and team oriented, Case and the rest of the team still have a strong desire to be competitive.
While their practices are not nearly as intense as NCAA baseball they still work on fundamentals and sharpening their performance.
“We practice twice a week and then play on the weekend. We have field practice Tuesday and cage/pitching practice on Thursday. Then we play double headers on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. ”
The team currently stands at 3-3. Case believes the team is currently underachieving and that they can improve in the upcoming games. Case and the rest of the team would love to go to the regional playoffs and then the World Series.
Case, as much as he loves this team, has goals outside of baseball. What’s interesting is that he feels the tram has not only granted him a place to play baseball, but it has also helped him get closer to his goals outside of baseball.
“I do feel like the team has helped me get closer to my goals because I get to continue learning about the game of baseball and to be a baseball broadcaster you have to be an expert on the game. Also I am the VP of Marketing so I am able to put that on my resume and show future employers my work.”
After speaking with Mr. Case, it’s clear to see that NCAA is not the only road to college athletics. There are plenty of individuals who love a sport and want to continue playing it in their leisure time. Even I got to say, I wish I would have given it a shot.
What’s not to like? You get to play baseball, make friends, and most importantly have fun.
If you are looking to stay active join a club sport! Who cares about the negative connotations or perceptions people may have of it. Look what it did for Will.
Life is what you make of it so make it a best case scenario.
