The Grind

Now that college baseball is about halfway done and conference has started, “The Grind” is more apparent now more than ever.

“The Grind” is well known to baseball players and any athlete playing sports. Free time is hard to come by now, and athletes become very tired and weary. I could explain “The Grind” using an extended amount of analogies and big words, but instead I’ll quickly illustrate an example of this week’s time table for UTPA.

Sunday: Wake up and head to the field early at 9:30 a.m. for stretching, batting practice a.k.a. “BP” and daily routines to follow. Our game against Chicago State started at 1 p.m., the game then ended somewhere around 4 p.m.  Then, it was off to home to get showered and dressed up for our athletic banquet. Meet with the team at 5:30 p.m. to make our appearance together. Arrive back home around 9:30 p.m. Do any remaining homework and go to bed.

Monday: Day off, Optional lifting. Get caught up with school and classes that we have missed due to being on the road.

Easy enough so far, but let’s get further into the week.

Tuesday: Bus leaves for Austin at 8 a.m., which is about a 5 ½- to 6-hour trip. Study for an hour on the bus and the rest of the time is yours. 12:30 stop in San Antonio for lunch at the infamous “Golden Corral.” Then it’s back on the road. Arrive in Austin around 2 p.m. Stretch, daily routines and “BP.” Game against the Longhorns started at 6 p.m., then the game ended around 10 p.m. hop in the shower and then head straight home. Pull up to the locker room in Edinburg around 3 a.m., and then run to bed.

Wednesday: Go to classes whatever time they may be. Lucky for me I don’t have classes on Wednesday. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for others with class at 8 a.m. and so on. After class it’s off to weights at 11:30 a.m. Grab some grub and then it’s off to practice at 3 p.m. Class after if you have it, then eat dinner and off to bed.

Thursday: Class throughout the day. Practice at 1 p.m., due to traveling. Bus leaves at 3:30 p.m., so you need to be dressed, packed and ready to go. An hour of studying on the bus (which is what I’m currently doing…) then the other four hours are ours till we get to Houston for Conference weekend against Houston Baptist.

In just those five days we traveled a total of 946 miles. Studied for two hours plus, went to all the classes we could/met up with teachers about missed class. We also had two practices, weight sessions twice, two games and one athletic banquet.

Side effects of “The Grind” may include: loss of sleep, non-healthy food choices (fast food), sore rear-ends, classes missed and possibly meals as well, low battery on electronics and sometimes, emotions running high. Consult your local trainer if more problems arise.

My point is that being a student athlete is not easy, especially when in the middle of the season. “The Grind” is a tough part that comes with being an athlete, but you must learn to love it. When I was talking about it with our shortstop/second baseman, Riley Goulding, he made a good point. He said “The grind in the years that I’ve played is a lot easier when you’re winning.” This is true, but no matter whether you’re team is winning or losing, “The Grind” is a love/hate relationship.

As my senior year of college progresses, I’ve found that a lot of the small things about baseball are starting to jump out at me more now than ever before. I’ve come to realize that whenever I’m done with this game that I love, I think “The Grind” is definitely one aspect that I will truly miss. 

Until next time, like always, I’ll leave you with a quote that I have found. (Which kind of fits my current state of mind.)

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate in the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

Dylan

(photos by Dutch Cowgill/UTPA Athletics)