For most young baseball players, the dream of one day playing for a Division I program is all-consuming.
They’ve probably thought about it since they were kids, daydreaming about the moment they’d finally see their name on a roster. They can so clearly picture themselves walking up to the plate at a huge college stadium, representing a team they desperately wanted to play for.
Athletes work tirelessly for years, praying that a recruiter will be at a big game or that their successes will be so huge that a college coach will hear their name. They pray that they will be the one that makes it.
But many don’t.
For some, this means that their dream is over. For others, however, the dream is just beginning. Junior college programs become the next best option, and for a select few, choosing to begin their college baseball career at a two-year program is the best decision that they can make.
With the recent rise and continued development of the transfer portal within the last few years, it has become extremely evident that these two-year programs are rich in development, turning athletes from ‘not good enoughs’ to star players on the NCAA team that they later choose to play for. However, these programs are still looked down upon, despite its ever growing potential to develop phenomenal athletes.
Simply put, those bigger programs have the funds. Power Five schools, which include those in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference, are just given more opportunity to pour resources into their program and aid its success. Though money doesn’t necessarily make all the magic happen, it still plays a huge role in the quality of that program.
“I’d say the biggest difference from a JUCO and a Power Five school is the access to money,” said University of New Orleans’ head baseball coach Blake Dean. “You have way more funding and access to helpers, student managers, etc. More times than not, the talent level across the board is a bit better at a Division I school as well.”
This isn’t to say, however, that raw talent isn’t hiding within the walls of these programs. Many athletes are just in need of more playtime, which is what Power Five schools aren’t always willing to give.
Take LSU’s Brayden Jobert, for example. Before beginning his career at LSU, Jobert spent a year at Delgado Community College, where he earned JUCO All-American honors. He grew into himself at Delgado Community College and is now a crucial factor in the production of runs for the Tigers. In 2022, Jobert finished at No. 9 in the SEC for homeruns, with 18 total on the season.
“Coach Scheuermann at Delgado, he’s unbelievable,” Jobert explained. “The way he runs his program is very professional, and it’s very traditional. He really made me look at baseball in a different way, from the standpoint of you know, you just got to go out there and handle your business and everything else will come. But yeah, I’m very thankful for my time at Delgado.”
Junior colleges are run similarly to any other college baseball program, just on a stripped down level. Those programs don’t have the nicest equipment, the most help or even the best field to play on, but they do have the most opportunity for development. Athletes that were never given the chance to shine on a bigger stage now have nothing to hide behind, and nothing to lose. That bare minimum given to junior colleges has created an atmosphere that oozes grit.
Anthony Herron, who currently plays for the University of New Orleans, actually started his college career at Missouri State University. When the pandemic hit the country in full force, he decided to transfer to John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.
“After Covid came about, I had the opportunity to go somewhere and rediscover myself and get back to what got me success from the beginning,” Herron said.
Rediscovering is exactly what he was able to do. Herron credits his time in Carterville as the reason for his success at UNO. The people he was surrounded by specifically had an impact on his personal development.
“The John. A Logan/Carterville community will forever be a place I remember, just because the people there were all grinders, and about progress across the whole campus. I would say it was a factory,” Herron said.
That grind is indisputable, and it’s a desirable quality for baseball coaches to see in their players.
“Those guys, at some point, were told that they weren’t good enough to be at this level, to start, and so sometimes that fuels motivation, desire, competitiveness, to really get after it, and to really work. That’s a valuable quality in a person that you have.” LSU head coach Johnson said.
“Those are very humble beginnings. They don’t have all of this. It’s not what their life looks like. So I think there’s some humility that comes along with being at that level, and a work ethic. I mean, at a place like this [LSU], you’re gonna be able to attract talent, but it’s some of those other characteristics, when you talk about building a team, and building a program, that are really positive. So, there is an element of that that I really like recruiting here.”
Despite the stigma surrounding the word “JUCO,” this experience could be exactly what an athlete needs on their journey to becoming a college baseball powerhouse. Because of these programs, athletes are finally able to prove that they were good enough after all. They’re allowed the opportunity to prove themselves, but humbled enough to know that there is always work to be done.
“I’m forever grateful for my coaches giving me that freedom and platform to showcase myself without the burden of making drastic changes,” Herron said of his time at John A. Logan College. “Some of my best in-game experiences and growth happened in junior college.”
This rings true for many college athletes. Their experience in a JUCO is just what they needed to become the baseball player they always knew they could be. They just may have needed that extra push.
