Up next in 10
MLB Draft Prospect Mason Neville Talks About College Development and MORE!
0 views
Jul 5, 2025
This YouTube Channel is part of the Baseball is Everything Network! ⚾️ We're passionate about preserving the past, present, and future of baseball for generations to come. From classic clips to modern moments, our mission is to archive the game we love in all its forms. 🌐 Visit our website: https://baseballiseverything.com/ 📌 Disclaimer: This channel is not affiliated with MLB, MiLB, or any other official baseball organization. All content is shared strictly for historical and educational purposes.
View Video Transcript
0:02
I think whatever opportunity was the
0:04
best one. Um, after talking with like my
0:07
family and my adviser at the time, um, I
0:09
feel like that was we are going to make
0:11
that decision regardless of, um, yeah,
0:14
going to college or going to play pro. I
0:16
mean, that that's always been my dream
0:17
is to play professional baseball and
0:19
hopefully be a big leager, but
0:21
everyone's kind of pathway to that is
0:23
different. And so it just turned out
0:25
that going to college and uh pursuing
0:27
that um was better the better
0:29
opportunity for me than uh taking the
0:32
opportunity to go play professional
0:34
baseball out of high school. So very
0:35
tough decision like you said. I mean
0:37
great program. Uh hats off to them.
0:39
They're in Omaha right now. They might
0:40
end up winning the whole thing. But
0:42
yeah, I just felt like I needed uh to be
0:44
at a different place for the development
0:46
that I was kind of looking for um going
0:48
to college versus going to play
0:50
professional baseball out of high
0:51
school. And so, um, yeah, going back to
0:54
the West Coast maybe, um, where I kind
0:56
of was familiar with the style of
0:58
baseball and, um, everything that they
1:00
offer and, uh, after talking with the
1:02
coaches at the University of Oregon and
1:04
their plan, uh, moving forward with the
1:06
team and then also with me, I felt like
1:08
that was the perfect place to go. And,
1:11
um, yeah, I mean, I feel like I made the
1:12
right decision with that. It's
1:14
definitely a goal. Um, I definitely have
1:16
belief in myself up the middle and I I
1:18
kind of look to play that as long as I
1:20
can, right? But at the same time, I
1:21
mean, I'm definitely a team guy and I
1:23
want to do whatever I can to help the
1:25
team win and so I do have experience in
1:27
the corners as well. Um, we had a gold
1:29
glover in center field my sophomore year
1:32
and I got to learn from him and
1:34
obviously I mean he was a gold glover so
1:35
I was playing left field and right field
1:37
with him and um I'm comfortable in all
1:39
three, but I definitely I I definitely
1:41
say I like center field better and uh
1:43
the goal is to play that as long as
1:45
possible until uh they tell me I can't
1:46
anymore. So, there's a couple, right? I
1:49
think I've heard I've heard some people
1:50
say Cody Bellinger back in the day um in
1:53
high school, Christian Yellowich a
1:55
little bit, but if I were to pick, I'd
1:56
say Jackson Merrill. Um I think uh I
1:59
think what he brings to the game and
2:01
what he does on the field is pretty
2:02
special. And uh comp or not, I mean, I
2:05
think everyone should kind of model
2:06
their game around him. I think he's he's
2:08
a great phenomenal ball player and um
2:10
he's he's going to do some big things
2:12
for sure. So, I'd say him. Kind of long
2:14
and lengthy and left-handed swing,
2:16
center fielder, little quick, all that
2:19
kind of stuff. So, I'd say him. I think
2:21
first just playing every day, right? I
2:24
kind of I wasn't an everyday starter at
2:26
the beginning of my sophomore year. And
2:27
I had to continue to grow and continue
2:30
to develop as a player and uh still show
2:32
up to the field every day and get 1%
2:34
better even though I wasn't playing.
2:36
That's that that was a big thing in my
2:38
opinion. And um once I did get in the
2:40
lineup, develop habits and routines and
2:42
all that kind of stuff, mental mental
2:44
preparation, um a hitting routine and
2:47
really staying disciplined to those
2:49
throughout the year um were real big for
2:51
success in my opinion. And that allowed
2:53
me to get over the failure of the game
2:55
pretty quick and um be able to flush bad
2:58
games, flush bad at bats, and maintain
3:00
that confidence going into every at bat,
3:02
going into every game. and um knowing
3:05
that during the pregame hitting batting
3:07
practice um I was doing everything I can
3:10
and doing everything I needed to do to
3:12
be successful for that game. So, it was
3:14
it was a group of things, but I'd say
3:15
the main one was really just getting out
3:17
there and um playing the game. I mean, I
3:19
think you gain confidence doing so and
3:21
then when you add little bits and pieces
3:23
um from routines and stuff like that, it
3:25
gives you the best chance for success.
3:27
I'd say I definitely dream big for sure.
3:29
So, um, that might have been a goal, I'd
3:31
say, but to actually come through with
3:33
it and end up leading the country, I
3:35
mean, that's that's pretty sweet. You
3:37
don't really you don't really you can't
3:38
really put that as a goal, you know what
3:40
I mean? You just you hope for the best.
3:42
But, yeah, I definitely set some goals
3:43
before the season. I've kind of been
3:45
goal oriented for a couple years now,
3:47
and it's uh I think it helps you kind of
3:49
stay motivated and continue to work,
3:51
like I said, even through tough times.
3:53
Um, I think it's I think it's a good
3:55
thing to do. And so, yeah, just seeing
3:57
that and kind of seeing the success of
3:59
the year and all that kind of stuff,
4:01
it's it's pretty sweet to see for sure.
4:03
I think just continuing to get better,
4:05
continuing to limit the swing and miss.
4:07
That's part of the game. Continuing to
4:08
limit the strikeout uh percentage. Um
4:11
you don't really dive into the analytics
4:13
a whole lot. I personally don't, but
4:15
yeah, just continuing to get better. And
4:17
I feel like um just focusing on that,
4:19
all the numbers will kind of decrease
4:21
like I was saying. I think I think
4:23
that's what happened pretty much this
4:24
year. But yeah, even after having a good
4:26
year, you kind of find the things that
4:28
you still need to work on and uh you get
4:30
motivated and excited about that because
4:32
yeah, I mean, like I said, the goal is
4:34
to play in the big leagues one day and
4:35
have a great career doing that. And so
4:37
this is just one step of the way. You
4:39
always have to find things even through
4:41
success that you can continue to work on
4:43
and continue to develop. So I'd say
4:45
those two are the main ones and then a
4:47
bunch of a bunch of other ones uh kind
4:50
of pop out with that. So you'll see
4:52
higher contact rate. You'll hit the ball
4:54
harder. Um the more you put the bat on
4:56
the ball and put a good swing on it, the
4:58
better it is. So just continuing to
5:00
develop that on all pitches, all
5:02
different shapes, all that kind of
5:03
stuff. So,
#College Sports
#Sports
#Sports Coaching & Training