DJ is a former center fielder for the Nichols College baseball team, and to say he was busy as a college athlete is an understatement. Although he played centerfield for the Bison, he came in as a two-way player, playing both the field and as a pitcher as a freshman. He was also a CCC First Team All-Conference player with an amazing bat and a great set of skills in the field. 

To have this amount of success, you need to have superb time management skills off-the-field as well. To help current athletes juggle it all, here is what DJ's day typically looked like as a college athlete, and how he managed his time.

5:30 AM – 6:30 AM

To start off his day, DJ wakes up and has breakfast. This meal changes depending on what he is in the mood for. After he eats breakfast, he has a half hour drive to Nichols to get after it in the weight room.

Related: Recipes for Athletes: The Breakfast Burrito of Champions

6:45 AM – 7:45 AM

This is the time block where DJ gets stronger, and faster. From 6:45 AM to 7:45 AM, DJ is at team lift becoming a better athlete. After lift, if he gets out early, he will try to grab a healthy snack before his individual practice.

8:00 – 9:30 AM

During this time block, DJ heads on down to the baseball field. Here DJ has time to tackle whatever he feels he needs to work on to get better. He has this time with a coach to help him work on different aspects of his game. After this block DJ has time before his class to either relax and recoup from his long morning, or do school work.

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits

10:50 AM – 3:00 PM

Now comes the most mentally tasking aspect of DJ's day: For these four hours and change, DJ has class. In between classes if he gets out early, he tries to grab lunch from either the dining hall on campus, or from anywhere off campus.

3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

After class, DJ hurries down to the field to join team practice. Practice usually starts at 2:00 so he has to hop right into it when he gets there. It will run for around three to four hours depending on the day. After practice, DJ heads back to his apartment, finishes any school work he has for the day, then relaxes until the next day where he has to get out of bed and start from the beginning.

Image Credit: Nichols Athletics
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* Originally published on November 9, 2022, by Brendan Duffy