GREENFIELD — The climb wasn’t easy. But focus and good training habits are eventually rewarded, he said.
Drey Jameson faced some formidable challenges while making the transition from high school to college baseball. During the Ball State freshman’s initial spring training, it seemed like every batter he pitched against was the same skill level of the very best he’d ever faced in high school.
He fought and struggled, but the Greenfield-Central graduate said he just couldn’t seem to throw a strike. Jameson started to get into his own head; maybe he didn’t even deserve to be called a D-1 player, he’d thought to himself.
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But when he stepped on the mound to face off against Iowa — the defending Big 10 champions — everything changed in a single game, said his coach, Rich Maloney.
Jameson was recently named to Collegiate Baseball’s Freshman All-American team, one of only three Mid-American conference players to make the cut. The Greenfield native will travel to Virginia to play for the Shenandoah Valley team this summer, putting his skills to the test against top hitters from across the nation, Maloney said.
Jameson is the third Cardinal to ever make this list, according to a BSU press release. Named the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Jameson held a 7-2 overall record this year, with a 3.88 ERA over 72 innings.
In league games, Jameson ranked among the top four pitchers in ERA (2.08), opponent batting average (.171), strikeouts (70), wins (6) and runs allowed (15). Jameson started out struggling to command his raw talent at the beginning of the season, but he finished his freshman year a fierce competitor, Maloney said.
And his journey to the big leagues began that day in New Orleans, in the Cardinals’ game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. It was like a switch went off in his head, Jameson said.
“I thought about the challenges I had, and there was a transition,” Jameson said. “It’s not like suddenly I could throw so hard and expect to blow past people, but there was a process.”
Jameson began throwing sharp down the middle, pitch after pitch, Maloney said. In three fast innings, Jameson struck out nine. With that outstanding streak, he’d won his confidence back, he said.
“If it would have been his draft year on that day, the scouts would have seen what they needed to see,” Maloney said. “He was absolutely electric.”
Kyle Nicolas, Jameson’s roommate and teammate who will play alongside him in Virginia this summer, said his friend’s overall focus made a noticeable shift in the right direction as the 2018 season progressed.
While Jameson didn’t have the kind of success he’d expected right away, with encouragement from the coaches and team, he started breaking down barriers.
“Since then he’s had same mindset, the mindset that he’s going to be better than the other lineup,” Nicolas said. “That’s just a testament to who he is.”
If he manages to keep up the same growth in his athletics journey, Jameson has a real chance to develop into a true prospect, Maloney said.
“Pitching is his future,” Maloney said. “He’s all in.”
Jameson finished his freshman year with 97 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .203 batting average. He couldn’t have managed such numbers without the support of his parents, his girlfriend, his teammates and especially his coach.
Whenever Jameson was having a slow day or was feeling discouraged, he could always count on coach Maloney to hop into the dugout with a smile on his face. Always happy and never down, it was good to have a mentor like that by his side, Jameson said.
“Coach kept giving me confidence,” Jameson said. “You’re not reaching that mountain peak yet, but you keep going and going. You’re still in the valley.”
Living up to being the best out there is an every-day affair, Jameson said. The work is hard, but it’s made easy by his love of the sport, he said.
“My work ethic this season came from the motivation to be the best out there,” Jameson said. “It’s four hour practices every day, but if you’re enjoying it, then that’s where you’re supposed to be.”
