As the transfer portal is becoming more common, more transfer success stories are coming out. When I entered college baseball, I never thought I would have to use the transfer portal. Unfortunately, everything doesn't always go your way in the world of sports. Sometimes, tough decisions have to be made for the best interest of the team or the individual. Transferring from Texas A&M was one of the toughest, but most rewarding decisions that I have ever made. Here is my transfer success story…

Coming into Texas A&M

My story starts with my commitment to Texas A&M University. I had just finished my sophomore year of high school and was playing travel ball with the Houston Banditos. After committing to Texas A&M, I focused everything on my development. I encountered a setback with UCL repair going into my senior year of high school. However, I recovered and played out my full senior season. I had a great year and led our team to the state semifinals. 

At the end of the season, however, there was a major coaching shift at Texas A&M. The head coach announced he was leaving and I found myself stuck in limbo. Fortunately, my scholarship was retained and I made it to campus.

Freshman Year at Texas A&M

I made it to campus my freshman year and was under a new coaching staff. My fall was plagued with a shoulder injury which kept me off the field. When spring came around, I experienced some poor performances and dealt with some nagging injuries. We had a very successful year as a team, but I wasn't contributing. I ended up redshirting and then heading off to summer ball early.

Summer Ball in Wisconsin and the Transfer Portal

I left for summer ball before our college season was over. I knew I needed to get reps and was excited to compete. About two weeks into the summer season, I entered my name into the transfer portal after realizing I wasn't going to return to Texas A&M. I contacted compliance at Texas A&M and told them that I would be transferring. My academic advisor helped compile my transcripts and get me set academically. The next step involved fielding calls, emails, and texts from college coaches. I felt like I was back in high school again! It had been such a long time since I had been in the recruiting process. I talked with a lot of schools and coaches, most of whom had recruited me previously in high school. I continued to play summer ball and enjoyed the process.

Committing to Nebraska

The portal had started to heat up for me and coaches were coming out to Wisconsin to watch me play. The University of Nebraska ended up coming out to one of my games and they liked what they saw. A few days later, they gave me a scholarship offer to come play baseball at Nebraska. It didn't take long for me to say yes! One of the coaches at Nebraska was the previous head coach at Texas A&M whom I had committed under during my high school days. I knew that I had tons of connections at Nebraska and knew it would be the place for me. 

Transferring out of Texas A&M was a very daunting task filled with uncertainties, but I don't regret a single decision I made in the process, as it became a transfer success story!