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Thor, The Viking Bandit - part 2

by Dave
Sunday, June 21, 2009

A: "I actually got recruited before things really started to change.   I didn't start getting recruited until my senior year in high school.   I got on a great summer team that went to all the big recruiting tournaments and we managed to get on good fields at those tournaments which helped.   But the only reason coaches came to watch me, a scrawny nobody from Seattle (aka softball Siberia at the time), was because my dad and I sent out hundreds of emails to dozens of coaches around the country.   We sent out email after email, not letting coaches forget my name, so that they would put me on their list of players to watch.   And from there, everything just fell into place."

A: "Recruiting is a very stressful and tiring process, but definitely worth every second once you sign with a school.   Being from Seattle, no one ever really recruited up there.   So it wasn't until after my junior year, with my summer teams that coaches started to notice me and pay attention.   The height of it was definitely in the fall of my senior year in high school, during all the showcase tournaments.   For being from Seattle, I actually got a lot of attention from colleges, especially schools back east.   But I was set on the PAC10, and I'll be the first to admit that I got really lucky to be able to play for Cal."

A: "Growing up as a kid, my dream was to always play for a PAC10 school.   Specifically, I wanted to play for Stanford.   I actually went on a trip to Stanford, and then found out afterwards that the school wasn't going to admit me.   When I was looking at colleges, I wanted to go to a school that had great academics, as well as a top 25 caliber softball team.   That's what was so attractive about Cal - they are the #1 public institution in America, and their softball was a perennial top 25 program.

There were definitely schools other than Cal that wanted me, that offered me 100% full rides and all the bells and whistles, but their softball programs were up and coming.   I wanted to come into an established program where I would have to earn a spot as a starter, rather than just be handed the ball.   Plus, softball doesn't get any better than the PAC10, and nothing was going to get in my way of playing in that conference."

A: "The WCWS was an amazing experience each time I was there.   The first two times I made it to the series, Cal made it to the championship game, and lost both times to UCLA.   It stung like crazy to lose in the championship.   The experience was a whirlwind, but not so much that I couldn't sit back and enjoy it.   The last time I went, my junior year, we lost our first two games (to UCLA and Arizona), and were out of there really quick.   That was a hard trip to enjoy because it went by so fast.   Even still, it was amazing.   The atmosphere there and the fan support is out of this world."

A: "College definitely flew by.   When it was done, it felt like it had flown by in the blink of an eye.   But while I was there, there were times where it seemed to drag on forever.   I would have loved another couple of years playing for Cal, but at the same time, I'm glad that I've been able to play in Europe and play in the NPF for as long as I have.

Playing ball didn't dimish the college experience in the least - if anything, it made my experience!   Without my team, I wouldn't have had a family away from home, I would have missed out on awesome camaraderie, wouldn't have learned tons of life lessons, and I wouldn't be the person I am today.   No I didn't have a typical social life, but I loved the life that I lived in college.   I had great friends that I had to see every day, and we created bonds that non-athletes can't create."

A: "It's basically the same as in high school.   Softball was always a commitment in high school, and it's the same in college.   When you're used to balancing school and athletics in high school, I don't think it's a bigger adjustment for athletes to go to college than it is for a regular student.   Both parties need to learn how to be accountable, learn how to study, and most importantly learn how to manage their time.   If you can keep up grades and play ball, and still have a little bit of extra time for a social life in high school, you can do it in college.   Just remember that level of commitment and accountability go up, and more is expected out of you.   If you do that, you'll succeed and love every minute of your college experience, and you'll never look back with regrets."

• Part 1 - rec play through high school.
  
  
• Part 2 - experiences as a college player
  
  
• Part 3 - experiences as a professional pitcher
  
  
• Part 4 - future including high school coach, private pitching instructor, and some longer-term possibilities

Labels: college, NPF

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