As a starting point for my blogs this season, I would like to go into a day in the life of a student-athlete and more specifically, a Fighting Camel. Many people, fans of the game and family members and friends of those who play think they fully understand what it is like to be a college baseball player. I would never be one to pick and choose whether I thought certain people would be able to do it or not, but it is simply a difficult college lifestyle.
To start, the good definitely outweighs the bad; I am not trying to state the opposite of that. When I say “difficult”, I mean that it takes a lot of focus for one to be able to keep all of his or her goals and obligations in order from start to finish. I do not like referring to this constant organization of time as “juggling many things at once” because that just sounds chaotic. Honestly, though, it can get a bit chaotic at times. During these chaotic, busy times is where the men are separated from the boys. Staying organized and having a healthy attitude about one’s duties are the keys to success.
The beginning of a college baseball player’s day usually starts very early. Practices are in the afternoon so you must get your classes out of the way before this. Scheduling is very important at the beginning of every semester so each player can work around practice and lunch. A student-athlete still has the same requirements academically that any non-athlete student has. The number of credits, pre-requisites and hours are just as daunting. The classes must fill requirements for your major plus be completed early enough to allow time for practice. Once classes are over for the day, there usually is no time for homework quite yet, since it is practice time. Homework and study time must be set aside until later in the evening.
Our focus has to then switch from student mode to athlete mode in order to be mentally prepared for a solid practice. Practices are intense. The regimen is designed to get us to our physical peak, create mental preparation and game readiness. There is a great deal of learning and studying that occurs on the field just like in the classroom.
Practice then comes and goes and depending on the day, it may be time for a team lift or speed/agility conditioning. This usually takes place around the beginning of what people would call the common time for dinner. Weightlifting is a vital part of the athletic regimen. As an athlete I push myself, alongside of my teammates, when I often have little left in the tank. This is where the extra work and that little push can be a difference maker.
Once the weights have been hit hard, it is time for dinner and a cafeteria-style buffet takes a hit when starving baseball players arrive. But dinner does not mean the end of the day. Now it is time to complete all of one’s work or studying for the night. Many nights are spent in the library, labs, or dorms completing the assignments that are due. Baseball practice, weightlifting and conditioning did nothing to lessen the academic load. The expectations for a Camel baseball player are very high. We are expected to produce on the field and in the classroom. A college baseball player has to stay focused throughout all of this because one slip can lead to a wasted unproductive night. The next morning will arrive and that means it is time to do it all over again.
Along with all of this, being a Campbell baseball player is a big responsibility and comes with very high standards, especially around the community of Buies Creek. Being a part of this close-knit campus and town, many people look up to us and also get to observe everything we do. The support we receive is much more personal and direct than some of the bigger schools in the country. We see it, and the people around town definitely do as well, as an honor to be able to call ourselves ballplayers for this University. Being held to this standard at all times takes a great amount of focus, but it is part of the everyday life of a Fighting Camel athlete.
Sure, this sounds busy and overwhelming for many people and it is. What many on the outside do not see are all the positives that come from these long, hard, busy days though. Like I stated earlier, the good far outweighs the bad. It is not necessarily fun to have to get up early every morning and go to bed late every night, but it is fun to put that Campbell uniform on as well as that hat with a big “CU” on the front. The first game is right around the corner. The hard work is about to pay off.
-Drew Butler
