Hello readers! My name is Coley Thompkins, and I am a senior right-handed pitcher at Campbell University. I am inviting you to follow along as I share my thoughts and experiences throughout the upcoming 2015 season. I’m looking forward to providing an honest and insightful account of the life of the college baseball player and student athlete.
I’ll start with some background on myself and what led me here to this keyboard. I was born and raised in the laid-back beach town of Wilmington, North Carolina, located in the southeastern corner of the state on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve maintained a life-long passion for the game of baseball, beginning with my first word – “ball”. My loving parents, to whom I owe everything in my life, provided me the opportunity to play as my skill and interest increased. They graciously endured the relentless pounding of tennis balls against the side of our house as I made diving catches to win the World Series over and over again. I was blessed with great youth coaches and mentors, who preached the importance of fundamentals and above all else, effort. Through middle school and early in high school I was a solid player. Fundamentally sound but undersized without a lot of zip on my fastball or pop in my bat. As I grew and developed my dreams of playing in college and beyond became more realistic, although I was far from a top prospect. In the talent-rich Tar Heel state I faced a constant struggle to stand out in showcases and workouts. I stood at a wiry 6’1 and featured what our friends at Perfect Game described as “minimal present strength”. Although I had impressive numbers on the field in high school games, the Top 500 Prospect lists were far out of reach. I toyed with a couple of lackluster offers and finished my high school career as an unsigned senior. Then, in June of 2011 I was blessed once again with an opportunity to play Division 1 ball, for the Campbell Fighting Camels. Despite the lack of a hefty scholarship and the fact that the Camels won just 17 games the year before, I didn’t hesitate to accept. It immediately felt like the right choice for me. 3 years, 131 wins, and 2 championship rings later, here I am. The opportunities and successes that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of as a member of the Campbell baseball program are something that I couldn’t have even dreamed of just years ago. Our meteoric rise to baseball relevancy has followed a storybook plot, and I am forever grateful to each person who had a hand in making it a reality in my life. As I begin my senior season I can only hope to build on what has been laid before me, by giving my all for my Campbell family. Passion and perseverance have taken me this far, and I’ll trust in those two qualities as I take the next step.
“You’re a survivor”, my head coach Justin Haire told me this fall. I’ll survive in this game until my time runs out and they make me hang up my spikes for good. But this game will survive in me for much longer. I’ll always carry with me the spirit of my former self playing in the backyard, with big league dreams and a little league frame, going full-extension to make a catch to the applause of no one. It is an innate draw to the crack of a bat and the smack of a glove that ignites my passion, and it is with that passion that I write to you. I can’t wait to begin this journey, and I hope that you’ll follow with me along the way.
Coley Thompkins
Campbell Baseball Captain ‘15
#RollHumps
