Trey Rucker '21 Recruiting Profile

I love the sound of baseball...the clickity clack of cleats on cement. That most beautiful sound of a wood bat perfectly connecting with a fast pitch right on the label. Crack. Nothing like it. I enjoy the rhythm...bump,bump of pulling my bag down the sidewalk to get to the dug out. 

I love the smell of baseball. The fresh cut grass and sometimes the musty turf. The gritty and sweaty odor of the dugout full of guys after the third game in a tournament.

I love the lesson of baseball. The ultimate individual and team sport combined. The only key sport without a stop clock or a game clock. A game fundamentally built on failure, and truly more mental than physical in many ways.

I am honored to play the game of baseball, the true American pastime. I am learning how to lead yet be humble, how to practice like I play, how to win and lose with equal grace, how to have an approach to the plate and how to hustle on and off the field with equal intensity regardless of the score. 

I have moved cities and had to join new teams. (Dallas,TX to Chatham, New Jersey in 2008, New Jersey to Chicago in 2012, Chicago to San Antonio in 2016). It took a lot to establish myself each time and earn the respect and a place. In hindsight, those skills of making new friends, adjusting to different coaching and maintaining good grades have been invaluable. Each time I have been blessed to rise to the top. My parents have emphasized student-athlete, student first. I work on balancing my time and achieving success in school and sports. No matter what team I am on, I bat 3rd or 4th and lead in all key batting stats. I sometimes use wood because it separates those who can truly hit the ball and prepares me for the future. I own third and I am versatile in other positions in the infield and outfield. I love to play. I mean I really love to play. I come alive for game time. I cheer for my teammates and pump them up. I am like a mailman, I play in heat, rain and cold. I don't care. I don't feel the elements I find my groove and play in a zone. I see the game and let it come to me.