Forever My Home

Looking back, it is crazy how close I was to not ending up at OU at all, but God 100% put his hands on me and placed me on the greatest campus in the world – The University of Oklahoma.

When I arrived, it already felt like home because I was Sooner born and Sooner bred. My dad played baseball and graduated from OU and our family spent almost every fall Saturday in Norman from my earliest age until I graduated high school. My sister graduated from OU and my brother was a student when I finally got to campus. I literally grew up wearing crimson and cream and dreaming of playing baseball in those colors.

My dad made sure I did not go to OU just because it was so familiar. He challenged me to think about what I wanted out of the college experience in school and on the field and let that criteria guide me in my decision-making process no matter where it led me. My criteria was simple: I wanted to play for a program that got to the field every day with a mission to be in Omaha, I wanted the program to be focused on player development on and off the field, I wanted to play for great men who would become family, and I wanted to be proud of the academic environment that I would eventually get my degree from.

When I committed as a sophomore in high school it was because I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that all of the criteria would be met in Norman. Still, as my high school career continued, I honestly thought I was going to skip college and begin my career professionally out of high school. What I didn't know was God had a different plan for me. And I am glad he did.

After not signing professionally out of high school I made that familiar drive to Norman to begin my college career. When I arrived it already felt like home. But something only feels like home if you have a family in it and I found a family. Every coach, teammate, and staff member around our program instantly became family and I have learned what a gift that is for a student athlete.

Lots of places talk about it, but here it is real.

I will forever cherish the countless hours of work, study, blood, sweat, and tears that happened on this campus during my time. I faced adversity, learned how to not only deal with it but rather to grow from it and thrive when in the middle of it. It may seem cliche, but Skip's "live in one pitch at a time" will change your game when you learn how to truly apply it.

Yes, I got a ton better as a player due to the development focus of the staff. More importantly though, those people listed above invested time in me toward becoming better in all the areas that matter: a person, player, teammate, leader, student, and member of our community.

"Every coach, teammate, and staff member around our program instantly became family and I have learned what a gift that is for a student athlete."

Goals are very important to me.

That's something I would write down at the start of every year, and I included team and personal goals. You need to have both, because if you're not getting better personally, you're not going to help the team, but if you're not team-oriented, you are selfish and will miss out on the unique opportunity to sit in a dugout with your brothers giving everything you have to each other to accomplish something great…together. My goals will forever be guided by both.

I think about this year a lot. Those team-oriented goals I was referring to were real: visions of hosting a Super Regional in Norman; a packed house to see someone on our team get the last out or get a walk off hit that would have sent us to Omaha; visions of seeing a bunch of crimson and cream in the stands at TD Ameritrade Park as we listen to the national anthem before we compete for a national championship; the mound dogpile with my brothers and coaches.

Sadly, I'm not going to be able to put on that Sooners jersey again and go compete. But I do know that my teammates and I helped create a culture where those goals persist. A culture where those goals are in the heads and hearts of the players in the weight room, at practice, in the locker room, outside of the yard, and most certainly pitch by pitch in each game. I'm ready to go watch our team next year and the years on into the future.

This season did not end how I expected, but that's how life goes sometimes. What I do know is I will forever have a place and family that I can go back to no matter what. I can't ask for anything more than that.

To the fans: you guys that showed up religiously, whether it was cold and rainy or extremely hot, will forever have a special place in my heart. You guys loved me and were always at the team's back. We were going to be really good this year and I envisioned a lot of fans coming out to the ballpark. Having that support always helped me.

To all my teammates: you guys are my brothers and my family. You pushed me to be my best and vice versa. The best kind of relationships I could ask for.

To the coaching staff: each of you helped me become who I am. I love you guys and could never repay you for the time you spent grinding on how to make me a better player and person.

I fully believe a dogpile in Omaha is coming soon.

I have so much love for the University of Oklahoma.

Boomer Sooner forever!

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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