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Excellence on the Field and Off: Balancing Athletics and Academics

A Coach鈥檚 Perspective

This is part two of a two-part series on balancing athletics and academics.听

The path to winning on the field and in the classroom goes hand in hand. With hard work and finding a balance, excellence will follow.

Transitioning to College

Transitioning from high school to college is a significant step. Scholar-athletes have their own set of challenges.

鈥淪upport systems change in college. My family came to all my high school games. Now my parents make a few games a year. They watch online, but it鈥檚 different when they are not in the stands,鈥� said Trista Brown, first baseman and sophomore biology major from Crosby, Texas.

College is also a time of growing up, managing classes, athletics, jobs, and social lives. 鈥淭he hardest transition to college is time management. Professors treat you like an adult and expect you to take care of academics,鈥� said Head Softball Coach David McNally 鈥�07. 鈥淐ollege is harder than high school, and strong study habits are important. Ultimately, it鈥檚 on the player to take responsibility, but we鈥檒l support and connect them to resources to help them.鈥�

鈥淚n college, I realized that school and sports are serious business, and you must stay on top of things,鈥� said Brown. 鈥淚 had to show Coach McNally that I wanted to be here, who I was, and how much I care about softball.鈥�

Dual Success

鈥淭he reality is that the skills to be successful in academics or athletics (or anything) are roughly the same. To be successful in any endeavor, you need to focus on a goal, have tenacity and dedication (i.e., work ethic) to achieve the benchmarks that lead to that goal, and be able to manage your time to ensure success in achieving the goal. In athletics, it takes practice, performance fundamentals, and game/match management. In academics, it takes homework, study, and assignment performance,鈥� said Dr. Joel Brant, McMurry professor of biology and department chair.

He continues, 鈥淭he key to both is preparedness (developed by the day-to-day activity). Assignments and games are simply tests of an individual鈥檚 preparedness. The true difficulty is attempting to excel in more than one endeavor. This adds a complication to the time management calculus. However, true scholar-athletes will have the work ethic to succeed in academic and athletic endeavors.鈥�

Softball has the highest McMurry team GPA. 鈥淪oftball is an extension of the university. If we don鈥檛 take academics seriously, we won鈥檛 be successful in the field either. This group of women has great leadership and confidence. They also set good examples and are mentors to the first-year students,鈥� said McNally. 鈥淧layers see what others are doing to balance athletics and academics. Whether at team dinners at my house, on trips, or at the hotel, you always see them with their laptops and books.鈥�

Team Relationship

McNally and his wife Julie 鈥�08 know that personal relationships matter. 鈥淚f you build a relationship with players, they want to work for you and the team,鈥� said McNally.

In softball鈥檚 seven-year McMurry history, this year鈥檚 team is as good as ever. As McNally says, the past builds the future.

鈥淲e get better each year and have a good core. It鈥檚 important to continue to recruit those with buy-in. We want a championship,鈥� said Brown.

Softball becomes part of an extended family. 鈥淭he answer to all is a home-cooked dinner. They eat, study, and hang out at team dinners at our home. It鈥檚 a laid-back atmosphere and builds relationships,鈥� said McNally.

Students need to find what works for them. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 bring homework to team dinners. That鈥檚 my time to set it all aside. I鈥檓 so passionate about softball, but I can鈥檛 let stress outweigh the big picture,鈥� said Brown.

鈥淪cholar-athletes work hard. Nothing in life is easy. They know how to keep a balance, too,鈥� said McNally. 鈥淪uccess is based on effort. Challenge will make them successful in life.鈥�听

Part I: Excellence on the Field and Off: Balancing Athletics and Academics

In case you missed it, check out听Part I听of our two-part series on balancing athletics and academics, where we explore the student perspective.