Marlins Baseball

Congratulations to Ty Spires (2016) for selecting Emory and Henry College to continue his academic pursuits and play college baseball!

Going to college and playing college baseball is a big step for anyone, and the Marlins are very proud of Harry. Below is an interview with Ty on his decision to commit to play college ball.

Like the other interviews prior to Ty's, it’s a great read!

Here’s the link to Emory and Henry College, check it out:

http://www.gowasps.com/sports/bsb/index

First Name	Ty
Last Name	Spires
Team	18U
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Which college have you committed to?	Emory and Henry College
How does it feel to know that you’ll be playing college baseball and why?	It's a very surreal moment. Playing college baseball has been my number one goal of my life since I started playing baseball, and its crazy to think that I have finally reached my goal.
What is your favorite thing about the college you chose and why?	It's probably the people there that I met on my visit. I did an overnight trip on my visit and hung out with the team all night and it was a blast. They really took me in and treated me like family, not the new guy.
How do you see yourself contributing to your new college baseball team?	I could really see myself being a big contributor to the team's success, but I am content on filling any role that is needed to be filled.
What do you know about your new coach? And, how will you go about getting to know him and his staff and what they expect of a new team member?	Coach McCall got drafted first round straight out of high school by the Phillies, and Coach Schaffner coached at Wright State and University of Virginia, where he coached Ryan Zimmerman
What do think will be the most challenging about college baseball?	I think juggling school work, a social life, and baseball will be difficult, but I think if I'm responsible with my time, I should be fine.
How does it feel to be facing your final year of school ball?	It's definitely a bitter sweet feeling; on one hand, it's now not my last time ever playing bseball, I get to play at the collegiate level, but on the other hand, it'll be the last time I get to play baseball everyday with my best friends. I'm sure after that last game, there will be a few tears shed, but it's all just part of growing up, I guess.
Will you approach your final year of school ball and summer ball differently now that you are a committed college baseball player?	I think I will be much more relaxed in my school and summer ball seasons this year. It's not that I don't care if I do good or not, I still have that drive to excel at everything I do, it's just that now I don't have to worry about having the best game of my life when a scout is there because he'll only ever see those four at bats and decide if I'm good enough or not.
What is the biggest thing you’ll carry forward from the Marlins to your college career?	This is only my first year with the team, but what I've learned in my short time with the organization is how to work hard and have fun at the same time. During the fall and winter, we would do speed and agility on Monday and Wednesday, hit on Tuesday and Thursday, and then practice or play on Sunday; and I did this all while also playing football for my school. But what made it not only tolerable, but actual enjoyable was that the people on the team made all of the hard stuff fun, which made it way easier.
What advice would you give other Marlins going through the recruiting process and considering a college baseball career?	Definitely start early and often. The scouts aren't just going to just start magically pounding on your door to give you a full ride, you have to do some work and get your name out there so they know who you are and why they should want you on their team.
Do you know your major yet?	Mass Communication. I want to go into film production
What do you think will be the first thing you do when you get to campus?	Honestly, I'll probably drop my stuff off at the dorm, and then go get some cuts in the cage.
Prediction – how much weight do you think you’ll gain your freshman year in college?	Everyone has heard about the freshman fifteen, and I hope it happens to me too, but only if its fifteen more pounds of muscle.