My dad and I didn't talk for about a month.
I can't even tell you how upset he was with me.
I had earned an engineering scholarship at The Citadel. My dad was an engineer, so like many young men, I thought I'd follow in his footsteps and earn a nice living like he did.
Well, that lasted for around three weeks.
When I turned my engineering scholarship back in, my dad asked me what I wanted to do with my life.
I simply said: "Dad, I want to coach baseball."
He was madder than a hornet at me, and looking back on it now, I can't say I blame him. Coaching certainly isn't the most 'practical' profession, especially compared to a career in engineering.
But I've been a baseball savant my entire life, and that baseball diamond is where I belonged.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021, we win the 2021 College World Series and bring home the first-ever national championship to Mississippi State.
In a moment I'll remember forever, I met Dad on the tarmac at the airport and handed him the trophy. He has dementia, unfortunately, so he's not always cognitive about what's going on, but he understood the significance of that trophy as tears of joy started streaming down his face.
I'll be the first to admit that coaching isn't always the most glamorous profession, but when I made the decision to pursue coaching as a kid with big dreams all those years ago, it was for moments like that.
Climbing the ranks
In my first year as an assistant coach for my alma mater at The Citadel, I didn't get paid anything.
It makes me chuckle thinking about it because I had to teach elementary school on the side just to put food on the table. But I was willing to do whatever it took.
I loved every second of being a coach.
I look back on those days fondly because I was coaching with my best friend, Dan McDonnell.
We loved the game more than anyone and were willing to outwork everyone, and had the time of our lives doing so.
When Danny got the head job at Louisville in 2007, I was fortunate enough to join his staff and be a part of the game on a national level.
In 2015, when I got the chance to be a head coach for the first time at Indiana, I couldn't have been more grateful for the years I spent in Bloomington because it gave me a chance to learn about myself and make mistakes.
I loved Indiana, but sometimes in life, opportunities open up that you've been waiting your entire life for.
And I knew if I didn't take advantage of said opportunity, it may never come again.
Pressure is a privilege
How many baseball coaches can say their first meeting with their team was when they got off the plane from Omaha after competing at the CWS?
Talk about being thrown into the pressure cooker, but I wouldn't want it any other way.
I took the job at Mississippi State job, knowing the driving force behind this program not only was to make it to the CWS, but to win it.
That's what makes this place so special.
It's the tradition, fanbase, and community that separate this program from the rest of the country.
As a coach, I accepted the job knowing there would be tremendous pressure in that, but it's also become such an integral part of my recruiting.
That being said, I took over a team that had just made it to the semifinals of the CWS, and there were plenty of players on that team that were coming back.
The expectations were set.
I had to do my part to put these kids in successful positions and make it back to Omaha.
A historic walk-off
After coming up short at the CWS in 2019, and with the 2020 season getting canceled, we made our way back to Omaha for the 2021 season.
But it wasn't a cakewalk, nor did we expect it to be.
We stumbled to the finish line at the end of the season and went 0-2 in the conference tournament.
But we quickly regrouped by winning our regional and super regional and punched our ticket.
One of my favorite moments of the entire tournament happened in the semifinals against Texas.
It was knotted up 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth of Game 2.
Winner goes to the CWS Finals.
What more could you ask for?
With a runner on first, I brought Brayland Skinner in to pinch-run. I told him he has two pitches to steal second base, and sure enough, Brayland swipes second and sets us up with a runner in scoring position.
Coming to the plate was Tanner Leggett, who I had just brought into the game for defense. He probably hadn't played in a month, but he's one of the more confident players I've ever coached.
He was built for moments like this.
He shoots a line drive to left field, and the next thing I know, our dugout is on the field, and Tanner's ripping his shirt off.
The fans are just going crazy.
It was the biggest hit in the history of Mississippi State baseball that would send us to the CWS Finals, and it was the result of two hard-working guys who weren't starters and hadn't played in a month.
I couldn't think of two more deserving guys in Brayland and Tanner who will forever be considered heroes for Mississippi State baseball.
Baseball changed my life
While we weren't the most talented team in the country, we had a gritty bunch of guys that just loved baseball.
They gave everything they had each and every day, and as a coach, there's nothing more you can ask for.
We took two of three from Vanderbilt in the Finals and raised that trophy high in the air for the first national championship in the history of Mississippi State, but it was a team effort all the way around led by players like Will Bednar and Tanner Allen.
I'd also be remiss not to mention the fan support, which was one of the most surreal experiences I've ever been a part of.
I couldn't leave my hotel at times. Everywhere I looked, the streets were covered with fans wearing maroon and white shirts, which was so incredible to see.
Our fans took over Omaha, and that's not something I'll ever forget.
When we were able to win it and bring that first title back home to Starkville, it meant everything in the world to me because there isn't a fanbase and community that deserved it more.
At the championship parade, I remember looking around thinking, how lucky am I to be a part of something like this?
There were thousands of fans cheering for us. My dad was on top of a fire truck, holding up the trophy. I signed what seemed like a million baseballs.
And all of this happened because I was a kid that was obsessed with the game of baseball.
The love of the game changed my life forever.
And my hope is that everyone gets the opportunity in their life to chase their dreams and do what they love more than anything in the world, too.
