Marcus Graham has made the most of his opportunities as a junior player, from the National Showcase Series to Australian Youth Championships with the Victorian State Team.
Now, the Baseball Victoria Aces Academy alum is taking on his biggest move yet: NJCAA Division 1 baseball at Arizona Western College in Yuma.
Moving to the desert will be a big change for Graham, but one he’s spent a long time preparing for during summer and winter baseball seasons with Berwick City and Dandenong.
“Much of my preparation has predictably been spent on the field, track and gym, largely conditioning myself so that I can hit the ground running as soon as I get to Arizona,” Graham said. “However, I would say that the most valuable aspect of my preparation came from before I knew I wanted to go to college and that is the training habits I developed at 11 or 12 when I had an insatiable desire to improve which has continued through to now.”
“In order to be successful in baseball, I knew that I had to fundamentally change my perspective on how I train and play. Specifically moving away from perfection and allowing myself permission to fail in order to move beyond the scope of my perceived limitations. This has certainly helped me more than any set of sprints or gym session ever could.”
Feeling physically and mentally strong, Graham is excited to play at least three games a week and push his baseball abilities to the next level. He knows he will miss family and the comforts of home, but he’s up for the challenge.
Graham is keeping advice from the BV High Performance Team in mind to prepare for college competition and hopes to inspire other young baseballers to follow their dreams.
“Damian Shanahan said that the game sets the standard,” Graham recalled. “So for players that aspire to play at a higher level, including myself, we have to hold ourselves accountable and train and play at the standard of the higher level we are aspiring for."
"Playing baseball requires discipline and tenacity. Each level of play will demand of its players a different level of discipline and hold its players to a different set of standards.”
Read more from Victorian college players HERE.