Collegiate Times

A shot from the press box above English Field.

“I didn’t think (quitting) was a good idea because it’s been a part of his life forever,” Hughes said. “Selfishly I wanted him around because he’s a such a good kid and he believes in the same things I believe in. He’s a good person, he’s a great leader, he’s a great competitor, and he’s fun to be around. Those are all qualities we like in our dugout and our program.”

It was a long process regaining his old form. Padgett played in 68 games in his freshman and sophomore campaigns. He hit .261 and knocked in 36 runs. At the end of last season, Padgett said he finally felt like he was playing halfway decent. Although he only had 23 at-bats, Padgett hit .304 last year — not bad for coming off such a severe injury.

“He was not even going to apply for his redshirt last year,” Ryan said. “Then I got hurt and had to redshirt, and I was like ‘Dude we got to do this together. You know we came in together, and we got to go out and stick this through.’ He was true to his word, and he’s been working his butt off since.”

Now in his fifth year, Padgett continues to contribute with an even higher .364 average in 11 games played. The success might not ever go to his head, though. He stays humble every day by looking through his eyes and seeing that scar.

“It really has changed me about taking things for granted,” Padgett said. “I took baseball for granted every day. Sometimes I wasn’t doing the right thing socially. I’d be out there practicing and be like, ‘God, I just want to go home. I don’t want to be out here.’ Looking back on it now, I’d do anything to be doing the 30 minutes of conditioning to where you’re about to pass out and throw up, doing all the drills, hitting, playing doubleheaders on a Saturday in both games, being so tired afterwards that all you want to do is go to sleep. I miss that a lot.”

Padgett may never have a chance to pursue his dream of playing baseball professionally because of his injury. It’s a hard pill to swallow. So, the best piece of advice Padgett can give his teammates and other athletes is to play every game like it’s your last.

“Whoever said that is a smart person,” Padgett added, “because you never know when it might be.”

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A version of this article appeared in the Apr 14 issue of the Collegiate Times.