Anderson living a dream...
2013 RSCBL player Martin Anderson is living a dream. He wears number 17 and pitches out of the bullpen for the University of Louisiana Lafayette Ragin Cajuns baseball team. For Anderson, ULL was always on his mind as he considered what options might become available to him as college prospect. He knew that he loved the town of Lafayette but didn't have any real connections to the Ragin Cajun program. "Had I known half as much as I do now about the program, I would have made it a number one choice from the start" Anderson says. As his very succesful junior season in Lafayette is winding down, he and his teammates prepare to play host to Ole Miss this weekend in a NCAA Super Regional match that will culminate in one team heading to Omaha to compete for a national championship. As great as things are today, it's hard to imagine that a year ago Anderson had no idea if he'd ever complete his collegiate eligibility or play competitively again.
Martin is a 2010 graduate of Cedar Creek High School in Ruston, LA. Following his senior year in high school he had a number of options to continue his baseball career at the collegiate level. He chose to attend LSU-Eunice, a prestigious Junior College program, as a pitcher. Early in his freshman year he battled an arm injury and was eventually cut from LSUE and told he didn't have what it took to play at their program. He transferred to Pearl River CC in Mississippi to continue playing at the JUCO level, and carried a chip on his shoulder with him. That driving force resulted in him competing and having a successful season at Pearl River. Again he faced decisions, and he chose to attend LSU as a walkon in the fall of 2012. Another hard reality sank in when that opportunity did not materialize into a spot on the LSU roster and he faced having his dream of being a Division 1 prospect taken from his grasp. He was forced for the first time to be a student, and not a student-athlete. "I honestly never had thought I would be in the position and situation I am at ULL. Especially after my experiences as a regular student and not as a student-athlete, believing that the pursuit of my dreams and all I had worked so hard my entire life for was over."
In the spring of 2013 Martin was persuaded by a friend to join him on a RSABL men's league team. As Anderson recalls "I found out about the RSABL through a friend that had asked me to fill in for a teammate that was not going to make a game. So I did so without having any idea what I was getting myself into." Anderson pitched very well considering he hadn't pitched since the fall. Intially Anderson saw the RSABL as a fun way to kill some time, but he soon realized the organization offered very competitive play and rekindled a burning passion he had for the game.
Anderson was invited to continue playing during the spring season and as fate would have it RSABL President and Commissioner Locke Wheeler also played on this team. "When Martin first joined our team it was obvious that he had a lot of talent and experience, it showed immediately on the field" Wheeler said. "As I got to know him more and learned more about his story and where he was in his career I knew he was a perfect fit for our summer collegeiate league. I knew that if he did his part and stayed healthy that under our instruction we could help him find a place to play, the talent was there...it was obvious."
Martin registered to play in the 2013 Red Stick Collegiate League, and was placed on the team sponsored by Raising Cane's and coached by Jorge Roque. He competed well and he regained velocity and command that once showed promise of him being a D1 prospect. Anderson contributes his hard headed and determined mentality, "I used the past experiences to work that much harder, play with a chip on my shoulder doing all I can to flush that bad taste out of my mouth to better myself as a student-athlete."
"Martin and I began talking about possible places he might find a spot to play. We talked with his coach Jorge and kinda brainstormed about what would fit him and what connections we might have that we could explore to help find him a place to play" Wheeler recalls. "I know that when I mentioned ULL it really peaked his interest, and I felt good that if they were interested in signing another pitcher that I could talk to a friend on the coaching staff and put in a reference that might put him on their radar. I was really excited to find out they were looking for another arm to come in the fall." The summer progressed, and coaches at ULL watched Martin pitch in a RSCBL game. Soon after he was invited to visit the school and offered a spot to join the Ragin Cajuns team in the fall of 2013.
"All the work that was put in by Locke Wheeler and Jorge Roque to try and get me a second chance in restarting my career; I am forever grateful for their faith in me and efforts because without them I would not be where I am now" says Anderson. Where Anderson is now is a contributing member of the pitching staff for the winningest team in NCAA D1 baseball team in 2014, a national seed hosting in the NCAA tournament, and consistantly ranked #1 by various polls throughout the season. Anderson has made 10 appearances out of the Ragin Cajun bullpen so far this season, including an appearance last week in Regional play against 2013 national runner up Mississippi State, and has found himself with a 2-0 win/loss record.
This weekend the Cajuns will play host the Ole Miss Rebels for a chance to go Omaha. A dream Anderson could have never imagined 12 months ago. When asked what advice he would give a player facing the adversity that he has faced, Anderson said “never give up on your passion and let past negativity spoil a possibility. Stay the course and focus on your goals, work harder and never take any opportunity for granted cause you never know who will see something that you do not necessarily see. “Grinders”, as we are classified here as Ragin Cajuns, our coaches instill in us to “Keep your heads down and climb”; Meaning to persevere and never look past the next step to see what is atop the mountain because one misstep can cause a fall.”
