Baseball | Catching up with Dundee-Crown's Ryan Court at Illinois State
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The condition is known as "draft-itis," and Ryan Court had it bad.
"My thinking was, every time a scout was there I had to hit a 500-foot home run," said Court, an Illinois Statesenior and 2006 Dundee-Crown graduate.
"No matter who tells you what, no matter how many people tell you to relax, it comes down to the individual, and I was pressing so hard last year there was no way I was going to succeed."
Amid whispers that he had a chance to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft heading into last season, Court had a terrible start, struck out 54 times in 56 games and was not selected by an organization.
Then he noticed the sun shining the next day.
"Obviously I would have loved to have a great year and get drafted high, get a bunch of money, but this year I learned so much more," Court said. "I'll have my degree at the end of the year, and that has put me at peace of mind knowing I'm in a win-win situation and my life is great."
A business education major, Court carries a 3.77 GPA and is one of 30 national baseball candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, which honors athletes for excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.
Court is scheduled to student-teach at Glenbrook South next semester, but the way he's been swinging the bat this season, the 6-foot-3 third baseman may get drafted yet.
He's hitting .348 with five home runs and a .504 on-base percentage for Illinois State (20-7), which opensMissouri Valley Conference play by hosting a three-game series with Creighton (20-6) this weekend.
Preseason favorites to win the league after a strong first season under new coach Mark Kingston last spring, the Redbirds defeated Ohio State, split two games with Miami and have been beaten by more than one run just three times this season.
"It is unbelievable what (Kingston) has done already for our program," Court said. "The recruits he gets in have been great. We have two good players at every position. And the way he coaches, the glass is always half full. You learn from that kind of attitude."
Ryan Court file
College: Illinois State.
Class: Senior.
Position: Third base.
Height/weight: 6-3, 225.
High school: Dundee-Crown.
Stats: .348, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs in 27 games.
FYI: Named to the Scholar-Athlete First Team by the Missouri Valley Conference in 2009 and 2010.
"My thinking was, every time a scout was there I had to hit a 500-foot home run," said Court, an Illinois Statesenior and 2006 Dundee-Crown graduate.
"No matter who tells you what, no matter how many people tell you to relax, it comes down to the individual, and I was pressing so hard last year there was no way I was going to succeed."
Amid whispers that he had a chance to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft heading into last season, Court had a terrible start, struck out 54 times in 56 games and was not selected by an organization.
Then he noticed the sun shining the next day.
"Obviously I would have loved to have a great year and get drafted high, get a bunch of money, but this year I learned so much more," Court said. "I'll have my degree at the end of the year, and that has put me at peace of mind knowing I'm in a win-win situation and my life is great."
A business education major, Court carries a 3.77 GPA and is one of 30 national baseball candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, which honors athletes for excellence in community, classroom, character and competition.
Court is scheduled to student-teach at Glenbrook South next semester, but the way he's been swinging the bat this season, the 6-foot-3 third baseman may get drafted yet.
He's hitting .348 with five home runs and a .504 on-base percentage for Illinois State (20-7), which opensMissouri Valley Conference play by hosting a three-game series with Creighton (20-6) this weekend.
Preseason favorites to win the league after a strong first season under new coach Mark Kingston last spring, the Redbirds defeated Ohio State, split two games with Miami and have been beaten by more than one run just three times this season.
"It is unbelievable what (Kingston) has done already for our program," Court said. "The recruits he gets in have been great. We have two good players at every position. And the way he coaches, the glass is always half full. You learn from that kind of attitude."
Ryan Court file
College: Illinois State.
Class: Senior.
Position: Third base.
Height/weight: 6-3, 225.
High school: Dundee-Crown.
Stats: .348, 5 HRs, 22 RBIs in 27 games.
FYI: Named to the Scholar-Athlete First Team by the Missouri Valley Conference in 2009 and 2010.
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