It is every athlete’s dream to play the sport they love full time. Drury alumnus Trevor Richards is doing just that. The Miami Marlins welcomed Richards to “the show” and on April 2, he made his major league debut.

Baseball coach Scott Nasby reflects on when he first met Richards during recruitment and when he finally came to Drury.

“Trevor was here as a freshman in 2012 and he played ball all four years at Drury. He was very composed. I saw him as a junior in high school. I recruited him, he was an easy pick.  I thought he was such a mature kid for his age. I thought he was going to be able to handle a lot of the pressure coming in and playing college ball as a freshman,” said Nasby.

Trevor Richards during his time playing for Drury                Photo via Drury athletics

As every student athlete knows, juggling schoolwork and a sport is far from easy, but with the right amount of determination it is possible. It’s all about maintaining the balance.

“He was a great student during his time at Drury. He never had any problems off the field. He was playing independent baseball but still put in a lot of effort into finishing up his degree. School was a very important factor to him,” said Nasby.

With the dream of going pro in the back of his mind, Richards never lost focus on what he wanted to do with the rest of his baseball career at the professional level. His determination lead to an immense achievement.

“When he came here, Trevor’s ultimate goal was to get drafted and play beyond just college baseball. He was able to get the opportunity to play here for four years and sign with an independent team when he got done with us. He was able to be picked up by the Miami Marlins after some success when playing for a bit in St. Louis,” said Nasby.

Richards is just one of the many successful student athletes that have made a name for themselves in the future. With the right attitude and enough motivation, Drury athletics encourages athletes to try to go beyond just playing collegiate sports. It is possible to make a career out of what you love to do.

“Most of the time, when you finish up at Drury, normally your athletic career would come to an end. But that is not the case for everyone. We just ask that all of our players “empty the tank” each and every day so that when they do get done here, you have no doubts that you gave it everything that you had. That is exactly what Trevor did for us each and every day.  I am more than proud. I’m a very proud coach. There isn’t a better representative of Drury Athletics at a professional level than Trevor Richards,” said Nasby.

For any additional information involving all things Drury athletics, visit the official Drury athletics home page at www.drurypanthers.com. Also, make sure to follow Richards’ journey as pitcher for the Miami Marlins!

Article written by Kate Bequette