It was a Tuesday morning in the heart of Indianapolis. The freshly watered grass and dirt marked the start of a new day for baseball. The sound of the baseball hitting the bat became the primary sound in the ballpark. Drew Gilbert, 16, just finished warming up in the cages. He put his baseball cap on over his short brown hair, and was ready to play ball. Drew walked into the ballpark along with nearly 200 other players, who held the same birth year, to showcase their skills in front of dozens of Division 1 college scouts, “I’m ranked number two in the state, and for the country I’m ranked 15th for my position,” Drew said. It was a Friday afternoon three days later, and Drew’s phone started to ring.

The ringing caught Drew’s attention. He picked up the phone and on the other side of the line was the Oregon St. head coach. The pleasant surprise was something that Drew had been working hard for a very long time. Overwhelmed with excitement and blessed for the opportunity, the phone calls kept coming. Dozens of college coaches started to contact Drew wanting him to play at their college for their baseball team, but Drew knew where he wanted to go after thinking about which college was the best fit for him. In late August, he visited Oregon St. University and had his pick in hand.

“Right now the plan is to just go in right away and compete for a spot. Obviously the players there are really good, so I will do whatever the team needs me to do. I’m going to work as hard as I can to play right away, to help the team,” Drew said about his plans after high school.

Last year, the Oregon St. Beavers posted a 56-6 overall record. The Beavers were ranked number one at the end of the regular season, and were given the number one seed in the 2017 Men’s College World Series. The Beavers ended up being one of the final four teams in the tournament and they lost to LSU to go to the championship game. As far as recruiting goes, the Beavers are ranked in the top 50 for recruitment in the class of 2019.

Injuries and setbacks

“I played with a broken rib during the showcase that Oregon St. noticed me at, so I wasn’t at full health. I’m still dealing with a broken rib right now, so I’m just trying to recover from that. My mindset is to get back as quick as possible, and return to full health,” Drew said.

On average it takes at least six weeks to recover from a broken rib, but it has taken Drew about four months to recover from his broken rib. Pitchers in baseball have to be very careful with their throwing arms also. They have to stretch and workout their throwing arm everyday to keep it in shape. Icing and heating their arm is also crucial to recovery after pitching for a long time. Many younger baseball pitchers usually don’t get as many injuries as their colleagues do in the MLB. Many older pitchers in the MLB have undergone some type of surgery in their career, and many of the younger pitchers can prevent a surgery if they work on their arm everyday and get the proper rest needed.

Striving for greatness

“Everyday I go to this facility and I work out. Four days a week I do actual weight training workouts, but everyday I either hit or I do this pitching routine that I have. It is an everyday thing. Just trying to get better every day you know it doesn’t have to be you putting in 5 hours of work everyday. Just getting better by 1 percent every day,” Drew said.

Drew is an athlete that wouldn’t be found just anywhere; all the little things that he does makes him stand out tremendously. First of all going to the facility that he goes to everyday is something that is unteachable, and to balance everything like homework, family and friends too along with going to the facility everyday is something nowadays that is very hard to do. Drew has an outstanding work ethic, and he has the mindset that he will never get beat or out worked. Greatness doesn’t come easy. All of the players in the MLB, and playing Division 1 baseball for a top university have worked a majority of their lives to get to where they are. They have all put in countless hours of work trying to strengthen their weaknesses and get better overall, and Drew fits that description perfectly.

Going out to play baseball on that Tuesday morning in early August with a broken rib was one of the best decisions that Drew made. Shortly after the showcase that he went to his dreams of playing Division 1 baseball came true. In late August he committed to play baseball at the University of Oregon St.

“I picked Oregon State because it was the best program that recruited me and it was also the best fit. The coaching staff, the environment, the campus. Everything about the college fit me and what I was about, so it was a pretty easy decision,” Drew said.