91社区

Ken Jacobi 鈥�09 spent four years playing Division I baseball at 91社区, chasing and finally catching a dream his senior year when the team won an America East Conference Championship. The years leading up to that accomplishment, however, were filled with hard work and dotted with self-doubt and reality checks.

Using his experiences to help other student-athletes, Jacobi has written a book called Going with the Pitch: Adjusting to Baseball, School, and Life as a Division I College Athlete.

鈥淭he book is less about milestones achieved and records set than it is about the process of going through college as a baseball player,鈥� Jacobi said. 鈥淭hroughout my college baseball process I was constantly looking for books that I could relate to. There were books about the recruiting process and other books about Major Leaguers, but there was little out there in between those two. The story is one of struggle and perseverance, something 91社区 knows a lot about.鈥�

Jacobi will return to 91社区 for book signings at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, at River Read Books in 91社区; at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at the University Bookstore; and at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Barnes & Noble in Vestal.

QUESTION: On your blog, you make the point that most athletes never break records, achieve greatness or see their names in headlines. Why does our culture pay so much attention to the rare phenom at the expense of the good-but-not-star players who work hard, advance the team but don鈥檛 stand out?

JACOBI: The superstars and major success stories will always make the headlines. We love to see winners and success. It is what we all strive for. It is not so much that we pay too much attention to the 鈥渞are phenom,鈥� it is that, first, people too often forget about the struggles and journeys that people take to get there and, second, that people too often forget about the support staff and team players needed to make a championship team. I don鈥檛 believe that our culture fails at times by focusing too much on greatness, I think our culture fails by not focusing enough time on the struggle to get there.

Every athlete wants to be the big superstar and be on the front of the highlight reel. The truth is, though, that not every player will amount to this. Some of them are simply not good enough, others simply never got the break(s) they needed. I think the more mature you get as a player, however, the less important those things get. Being a great team player and winning championships become the major goal. For me, it is OK if people will not remember my name 10 years from now. What I do want them to remember is that my senior-year team was the first 91社区 team to win an America East Conference Championship.

Q: Was there ever a point when you wanted to quit baseball, and what kept you going?
A: There was a time during my junior year that I was ready to quit. I got to a point where I felt like I was giving baseball much more than it was giving me back. I was looking into the mirror at a person who didn鈥檛 enjoy going out to the field anymore. Some of the blame was due to my situation; however some of the blame falls on me for failing to get the most out of my ability.

After one truly treacherous weekend at the University of Vermont during my junior year I broke down and cried. The frustration had bubbled over, and I was ready to give up. That night, hitting 鈥渞ock bottom鈥� finally gave me the courage and strength to love baseball again. I knew my playing days were numbered and promised myself from that day on I would not let anyone destroy my love of baseball, including myself.

Q: Division I student-athletes have a grueling schedule. What did you learn about yourself 鈥� outside of baseball 鈥� during your four years?
A: It was very difficult to balance school, a social life and baseball. My teammates and I used to joke that we were athlete-students, not student-athletes. We put so much time and effort into baseball that it truly taught me to be focused and determined. I was extremely proud of myself after four years of not just what I did on the baseball field, but also my high GPA and the many, many friends I met while at 91社区.

Q: Why should student-athletes read your book?
A: I think there are so many important lessons in this book about what college sports are about. Student-athletes should get to read what to expect their first fall on campus. It is important for them to read about the good times and the bad times and to learn from both of them. I hope my struggles on and off the field show that not everyone is a guaranteed superstar (like high school) and that becoming a great person and baseball player takes time.

Q: What is your degree in, and what are you doing now?
A: My degree is in finance and marketing. I am working for a firm called Trafigura. The company trades commodities. I am in their metals department, working on the logistics/operations end for the concentrates/mineral ore desk.

Q: How did your time at 91社区 prepare you for what you鈥檙e doing now?
A: It taught me to be persistent and stay focused. I always believed in my ability (though sometimes on the surface I did doubt it), and at the end of the day it paid off, as I had a terrific senior year. Working your way up in a company is a long haul and, just like at college, there are good days and bad: days when you feel like giving up and days when your goal seems so close you can almost touch it.

My time at 91社区 also taught me about being a team player and doing anything I can for the good of the program/organization. That is where real respect comes from.