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Rounding the Bases with Drake Davis
12/9/2019 11:30:00 AM | Baseball
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HIT & RUN
Major: MarketingFavorite athlete: Kobe Bryant Favorite author: Bob Rotella Favorite hobby (outside of sports): listening to music Favorite musical artist: Drake, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin Favorite movie: Hateful Eight Favorite professional team: New York Yankees Favorite restaurant: P.F. Chang's Favorite Gopher sporting event: football Biggest fear: spiders Biggest pet peeve: people who chew with their mouth open Hidden talent: Spikeball Person you'd most like to meet: Kobe Bryant Something you never leave home without: airpods Dream vacation spot: Bahamas Sport you'd like to try but never have: hockey TEAM SUPERLATIVES
Best personality in the dugout: Patrick FredricksonBest nickname: "Champagne" (Drake Davis) Hardest-working teammate: Sam Thoresen Most competitive teammate: Max Meyer Most studious teammate: Chase Stanke Biggest prankster: Nolan Burchill Build the ultimate five-tool player with your teammates: Drew Stahl (glove), Max Meyer (arm), Jordan Kozicky (speed), Jack Kelly (contact), Ronald Sweeny (power) |
Dating back to his high school days, Davis has been widely regarded as an elite level pitching talent capable of competing at the professional level. The right-hander enjoyed a wealth of success throughout his prep career at Ralston Valley before being drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of high school and electing to pursue the college path. During his high school days, Davis racked up 119 strikeouts in 85 career innings and was a 2017 Rawlings Honorable Mention All-American.
While at Arizona State University, Davis was forced to undergo the infamous Tommy John Surgery, shelving the young star for over a year. After powering through a journey that saw Davis move home to rehab his injury and study online, the Colorado native made his way to Minnesota to play under legendary head coach John Anderson.
Now a junior, Davis is finally getting his long-awaited shot at college baseball stardom. As he literally counts down the days to his debut, hear from the right-handed fireballer himself as the 2020 campaign draws near.
GopherSports.com: Why did you choose to come to the University of Minnesota?
Davis: "I chose Minnesota because of the coaches and how they were right away. I wanted to play at a school where the coaches really did care about you and the team was close. I also liked how the pitchers can be their own person. If you look at our pitching staff, every single person is so different personality-wise and it's part of what makes us so good. We all grow from each other. I chose it on that aspect. Good academics, and the biggest thing is just people. You're around good people."
GS: When did you first start playing baseball and when did playing collegiately enter your mind?
Davis: "I've been playing baseball for as long as I can remember. I bet I was five. I realized I was good in high school. When I was younger, I could throw hard. But in high school, I took a visit to Notre Dame. They said to me, 'you have to make a decision.' So I decided, I'm quitting football. I gave up basketball already and I quit football. And I was better at football than I was baseball, I just wasn't as big. In my eyes, I decided to put all my energy into this endeavor. I'm going to be the best baseball player I can be and get scholarships to big time schools and play at a high level. That's when I realized that it was something that I wanted to do and something I was really good at."
GS: What would you say is your biggest strength and what is an area of improvement for yourself?
Davis: "My biggest strength is my attention to detail. I do the little things. I'm very serious about this and I think that separates me a little bit from some people, because this is the most important thing to me and I put all my energy into it. I'm as prepared and locked in as I can be. Something I need to improve on is not holding everybody to the same standard that I hold myself. I'm pretty hard on people. If they live ways that I don't believe in, I sometimes get on them. I expect their best every day and I think that sometimes is an opportunity where I should be better and just let them be their own person."
GS: Do you have any game day rituals or superstitions?
Davis: "I get [reflexive performance reset] done from Scott. If I'm starting that day, I'll watch a movie before I start because movies are one of my favorite things. Movies, music and books."
GS: What is your most memorable moment playing baseball?
Davis: "Probably just getting drafted out of high school. It was something I had set a vision for. I wanted that through all of high school, even before I knew I was good. When I finally got that, it was nice. It was vindicating. I saw something I had to work for happen. It was a moment I was proud of."
GS: What was that decision like to elect to go to college over going pro?
Davis: "That decision was made before the draft even happened. I was going to college. It was nice to see that some teams were interested still, but I was set on going to college."
GS: Who has been the biggest influence on your athletic career?
Davis: "My dad. Moving home for a semester was tough at times. I was alone, taking 18 credits online and rehabbing my elbow. He was there for me every day and reminded me of things that I needed to be reminded of. He held me accountable. I was on the bike riding two days after Tommy John [surgery] with stitches in my knee and a sling on. He had me on the bike and I'm complaining about it. And he says, 'at some point you have to just get going. We're going to do this and you're going to do this better than anyone has ever done it.' That was my mindset and I had him every day holding me accountable. He's the reason I am the way I am with baseball. He's the reason I am the way I am in life."
GS: How has your unique path to Minnesota shaped your attitude and perspective?
Davis: "It has changed everything. It was humbling, because I wasn't the guy I thought I was going to be. But, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me because I learned who is really there for me and who are the right people to have in my life. I can whole-heartedly say I have the best people in my life. My friends are amazing and so special and winners to a tee. For me personally, it's the fact that I now realize that I have one shot at this. I was living at home and I realized I might not play again. I'm in a sling. My arm might not ever be the same. It's just a different drive now. It's a different focus and sense of urgency. I know I have one shot at it and I'm going to do it right."
GS: What are your goals for this upcoming 2020 season?
Davis: "For the team, my goals are we're hosting a regional. We're hosting a super-regional. We're going to Omaha and winning the whole thing. And just to be the right guys in everything – the way we look, the way we act, the way we play. Everything is fitting to the image. I try to emphasize that to the team. I want us to look the part and go out and perform the way we can perform, because we are a top-level team in the country. I want to let people know we're for real. For myself, it's just to practice my systems every day. You fall to the level of your systems. I believe in that. Execute my systems every day. Be the right person, be the best version of myself and everything else will take care of itself."
GS: Do you have any advice for aspiring youth athletes?
Davis: "Young baseball players, I would tell them you've got one shot at this and you only have so much energy. Pour your energy in the right places, whether that's relationships, baseball, academics, whatever it is – you only have so much energy, so it's important that you put that in the right areas."
GS: What are your aspirations for after college ball?
Davis: "Pro baseball. 100%. I've always wanted to play pro baseball. I want to go pro and live the dream I've always wanted to live."
GS: Who are you looking forward to playing against the most?
Davis: "We go to Tempe, so I'm excited to go there. But, I'd say I'm excited to go to TCU. I have a good buddy on that team. Texas Tech – a good buddy from there. And then Oral Roberts. These are all guys from Colorado that I grew up with. But, I'm just excited to play, get out there and compete and win with my team. I think about it every day. On my mirror, I write down how many days are left every day."
GS: What are your feelings knowing this long wait to pitch at the Division I level is finally near?
Davis: "It's hard because I'm aware that every day we're running out of time to get as prepared as we can to compete. I am so gung-ho on putting all my energy into training, preparing, sleeping, eating right and tracking everything, that at times it's hard with school. At the same time, it's exciting. It's my first season. Being a student-athlete, it's nice. I've made a lot of friends from different teams."
GS: What is your prediction for the 2020 season?
Davis: "That we're winning it all. I mean that. I really believe that we can do everything that we want to do. It just comes down to our systems. I will say that over and over again. What our systems are is what we will fall to. How we prepare, how we compete, how we act, how we treat people – you fall to the level of your systems. You don't rise to the level of your goals. If we have the right systems in place, then we're going to do everything we want to do."
GS: How has the Minnesota coaching staff impacted you so far?
Davis: "This coaching staff is unparalleled. They're the best coaching staff in the country. The reason is that these four coaches genuinely care about their players. They let you be yourself. Our team is full of guys who are themselves. They're comfortable with who they are. It's just so relationship-based and it's how they treat people. In turn, you win because of that. I cannot say enough good things about them. I am so blessed and lucky to be here, along with the other 33 guys. Our team is so special and our coaching staff is where it starts."
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