Freshman Matt Oldham began his journey playing Division I baseball this past year as a catcher for Elon University. Starting at a young age, Oldham has strived to take his talents to the next level, his ultimate goal being to reach maximum potential in the sport.
“My first steps were on a baseball field,” Oldham said. “As soon as I could walk, I was playing.”
The passion for baseball runs in Oldham’s family, so he knew early on that it was the sport he wanted to pursue.
“Both of my parents played co-ed slow pitch softball; that’s how they met,” Oldham said. “My sisters played softball as well, so when I came along, baseball was automatically the sport I was playing. Growing up, I looked up to the older players around the town. They motivated me when I was younger, and I just kept playing to get better.”
Baseball has always been a priority for Oldham, and furthering his passion into college was a big factor in the decision making process.
“What really made me choose Elon was the opportunity to play,” Oldham said. “I knew I would be playing right off the bat my freshman year, so that was one of the most important things for me.”
He says that the hard work has paid off. With a batting average of .246 with eleven doubles, two home runs, 21 runs scored and 22 runs batted in, Oldham is off to a successful start in collegiate baseball.
The dedication and time that Oldham puts into baseball takes out a large portion of his time, and Oldham appreciates every second of it. Being involved with the sport more than ever is something that he does not take for granted.
“It’s a never ending process,” he said. “What I’ve been telling myself a lot is that yesterday’s successes are not just because you got lucky, it’s because you worked hard and have put in the work to tell yourself that no one has put in more of an effort than you.”
Along with the sport itself, Oldham values the relationships he’s made throughout his career as one of the main elements that has kept him going.
“Your teammates are the people that you’re going to see 10 years down the road that you will still be close with,” Oldham said. “As a matter of fact, I recently saw a bunch of my past teammates that I played with for four years in a travel ball circuit and we’re still close. One of them I hadn’t seen in five or six years, so I really think that you can’t compare those relationships with anything.”
Oldham continues to strive to play his best at Elon, maintaining his position as a positive attribute to the baseball team and the school itself. Although being an student-athlete is difficult at times, Oldham realizes that baseball isn’t everything and is thankful that the cards have fallen into place.
“It can be tiring, but I just have to find the time to get my naps in through the day,” Oldham said. “Keeping my head down and continuing to work toward future success is what I am most hopeful for.”
Carson Shaner, a freshman who is an outfielder at University of North Carolina-Wilmington (UNC-W), has had the dream of playing Division I softball since the age of six. After years of experience, Shaner has finally earned her spot as a Seahawk and continues to progress, always taking the initiative to climb her way to the top.
“From a young age I fell in love with the game,” Shaner said. “When I started getting to about 12 years old, I realized that I really wanted to continue to play.”
In her later years of middle school, Shaner began to get noticed by coaches from different schools, which gave her an extra push to keep improving.
“When I started going to camps in eighth grade and my freshman year of high school, I realized that coaches were interested in me and wanted me to play at the next level,” she said. “That motivated me to stick with it.”
Growing up with the sport, it has always been Shaner’s main passion.
“Softball is always what I’ve wanted to play,” Shaner said. “I did play basketball, but softball was always my number one. I felt that I was better at it and had a greater interest in it.”
Throughout high school, Shaner was a key player to the Northwood softball team. A four-year starter who guided the Chargers to a 74-18 record, she speaks highly of her experiences at NHS.
“Representing Northwood was a great feeling,” she said. “My teammates really made it a great experience. Building lifelong friendships with the people you are competing every day with is the best. Everyone has the same goal in mind to pursue the sport they love.”
Shaner was scouted by several colleges and ultimately made the decision to attend UNC-W after being recruited in her freshman year of high school. After looking at other schools in the UNC school system, Wilmington was the place that stood out to her most.
“I just loved everything about the school, the campus, the people,” Shaner said. “The softball program and academics are awesome, too, so I definitely feel like I made the right choice.”
While the softball program is a priority to players and coaches at the college, academics play a large role as well.
“The coaches expect a lot out of you,” Shaner said. “They’re all about maintaining good grades before softball. If any of us have a test or a school related event at the same time that there’s a practice, the coaches make sure that we can make up the practice so that our grades are not at stake. It gave me a great feeling to know that I would be able to balance academics and our busy softball schedule coming in.”
Shaner has started in 10 games this season and plans to continue playing throughout her college years. The process has already been very rewarding for Shaner.
“My first collegiate hit was actually a grand slam against ECU,” Shaner said. “That was a really big deal for me. We also beat Carolina this year 3-0. A big dream of mine growing up was to beat Carolina, so that was a really great feeling.”
Through the hard work and commitment that it takes to be a collegiate student-athlete, Shaner uses the experiences and lessons she learns off the field.
“To me, softball is more than a game. It helps build character and lifelong skills that not only help you on the field, but with your career and future life,” she said.
– By Grace Lake
