02/01/08
At the beginning of his first year of college, Josh Padilla stood inside Liston Stadium with shoulder pads and a helmet, but as his freshman year ends, Padilla can be found down the third baseline of Sauder Field with a baseball cap and glove.
Padilla is just one of a group of student-athletes who play multiple sports at Baker. Athletic Director Dan Harris said there are 25 to 30 dual-sport athletes, who make up roughly 16 percent of the total athlete population.
“I really admire (multiple-sport athletes) because of the time commitment and personal fortitude involved,” baseball coach Phil Hannon said. “This goes for all student athletes, period.”
Padilla went to high school in Chandler, Ariz., and a large influence in coming to Baker was being able to play both football and baseball. Besides being able to play two sports he is passionate about, Padilla is receiving scholarships in both sports, which helped him out financially.
Because the sports are so different, Padilla could not say which sport was his favorite.
“I can’t choose,” he said. “The fact is that these are different atmospheres and two totally different sports.”
Even though Padilla cannot decide on a favorite, he will admit that he is better at baseball. The main reason is because the weather in Arizona allows them to play all year long.
“Josh does everything positively and with a lot of effort,” Hannon said. “He is adjusting well and we are just working on understanding his position and the game.”
Like all activities, sports take up much of the athletes’ free time, and since these athletes play all year long, it can be a challenge to balance both sports and schoolwork.
“The academics at Baker are very good, and success in school should be first, so athletes just need to be able to prioritize,” Hannon said.
Also, athletes may have to sacrifice other aspects of their lives, such as free time or a social life, in order to accomplish what needs to be done.
“(Playing sports) has its ups and downs but handling it comes down to time management,” Padilla said.
Junior Jayde Allen has also taken on the responsibilities of multiple sports. Allen is both the libero on the volleyball team and also an outfielder for the softball team. Allen has had more success with volleyball, but this is partly because she has been injured throughout part of her Baker softball career.
“I was originally just going to play volleyball, but then was offered another scholarship for softball and that was icing on the cake,” she said.
Team chemistry is vital for any athletic program. The trust and bonding that goes on between players can greatly improve the play of a team. Allen has 32 teammates and five coaches divided between the two sports with which she must make connections.
“A big difference with two sports is having to make a connection with both teams and the teams’ chemistry,” Allen said.
Hannon coaches several football players and two basketball players that also play baseball.