Daily Grind articles are posted every Wednesday to provide a look into a day in the life of a college athlete and to give an example of time management skills.

Brianna Davis was a starting first baseman for Kilgore College, a junior college located in Kilgore, Texas. She speaks on her rigid schedule and gives us an idea of what to expect when you play at the college level. She touches on the importance of time management and offers advice to athletic recruits.

5 am-7 am: Morning Workout
During this time, the Kilgore Softball team would either workout at the football field, basketball gym, or rec center. These workouts varied in difficulty each day. The team would sometimes complete a workout called the “26 minute drill.” This drill consisted of ten 20-yard workouts that needed to be completed within twenty-six minutes; however, athletes could not advance to the next workout until every team member was finished with the set. 

Throughout the entire month of November, their 5am workouts were swim workouts.

Related: A Different Route: The JUCO Experience

7 am- 7:45 am: Breakfast
After practice, Brianna had 45 minutes to eat breakfast at the café then run to her dorm to shower and change before class. These forty-five minutes were very hectic and stressful because, there was no time to recuperate from the exhausting workouts. 

This is where time management played a huge role in Brianna's schedule. It was imperative that she get all of her homework done the night before, pack her books and supplies for the next day's classes, and lay out the outfit that she wanted to wear all the night before.

Related: Breakfast for Athletes on the Go: Kale, Apple, and Carrot Smoothie

8 am-10:50 am: Class
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Brianna had 2 classes, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she had 3 classes to attend. It was important for all athletes to stay focused in the classroom because they were required to keep a 3.5 GPA minimum or go to team study hall. This was vital to Brianna because having a free pass gave her a chance to relax or catch up on homework before practice. 

Related: 4 Tips on Time Management for College Athletes

11 am- 12 pm: Weight Training
The entire Kilgore Softball team was required to attend weight training during this time. These workouts were not as tough as morning workouts because they were made to build or tone muscle. Each month, the softball coaches designed a workout plan specific to each athlete based on their size and any injuries. All athletes were required to bring a copy of their workout plan every day, which was located in a folder provided by their coach. They had to write down the amount of weight they lifted next to each workout. Week by week, the amount of weight should've increased. At the end of every week, the athletes were to turn in their folder to the head coach for review.

12pm- 1pm: Lunch
After weight training, Brianna and her team ate lunch either at the café or at one of the churches located on campus. Each church had a designated day, either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday,  where they would cook a for students. These were great days for athletes because they could stop to pick up a nutritious meal and eat it in their room. It was extremely important for Brianna and her team to eat a good meal before their long practice later on. 

Related: Nutrition for Athletes: Overview

1 pm-2 pm: Study Hall
After eating, Brianna would walk back to her dorm room to get changed for practice and pack up her homework for study hall. Study hall was required for all freshman athletes, as well as athletes who did not meet the GPA requirement. As soon as Brianna and her teammates walked through the door, they were to place their phones on a desk in the front of the classroom. If they wanted to listen to music while working on their assignments, they could do so using their laptops. Most of the time, there was to be no communication between any athletes or the coach, because that hour was to strictly be used for completing their assignments. 

2:15 pm-5:30 pm: Practice
Once Brianna was finished with study hall, she would ride with one of her teammates to the softball field for practice. Their practice consisted of drills geared towards hitting and fielding. They would begin their practice with a set of agilities to prevent any injuries and to get their muscles warmed up. Agilities consisted of 10 walking stretches and 6 sprints at the end. 

Next, they would complete their throwing progressions to get their arms loose and ready for team defense. During team defense, their coach would hit them ground balls to test their range, and may even have runners on the bases to complete a situational defense. At times, if their defense made a lot of errors they would have “punishment conditioning” at the end of practice. Their punishment would be a set of triangles, (a sprint from home plate to the right field foul pole, straight across the outfield to the left field foul pole, back to home plate) depending upon how many errors were made.

6 pm-bedtime: Dinner and Homework
After practice, Brianna rode back to the dorms with a teammate, then showered. Her dorm was conjoined with another room, and all 4 of the girls shared one bathroom, so taking a shower took a little longer some days. After her shower she would walk to the café with the rest of her team to eat dinner. If they did not go to the café, they would eat fast food at one of the local restaurants in town. Later that night, Brianna would either finish the rest of her homework assignments, or hang out with teammates. 

“When going through your recruit[ing] process, take the time to ask current athletes about their schedule and how much free time they have. It is important for you mentally, to have free time to relax or catch up on sleep. I know that during my freshman year, I was stressed every day of the week, and even skipped class a few times because my brain was so tired. Remember that this will be the most important step, because you will more than likely be at the institution of your choice for four years,” Brianna says.

Have a question you need answered or an idea of an athlete we should interview? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on January 5, 2022, by Brianna Davis