Thursday, July 11th 2024, 5:41 pm
Caden Powell’s story is a story of perseverance to never lose sight of your dreams, even when they are so far away you can’t even see them.
“I started playing baseball when I was probably six or seven-years-old,” said Powell.
From the start, it was love at first bat.
“I remember just how much fun I had. How much my parents enjoyed it, how much I enjoyed it,” said Powell.
By his teens, Powell went from just enjoying the game to understanding just how good he really was.
“My power, like I could always hit the ball really far, and that’s something you can’t really teach,” said Powell.
That batting power would earn him a scholarship to The University of Oklahoma playing shortstop, and it didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t high school baseball.
“There was just a lot of talent on the field, and I was a young kid and really hadn’t developed yet,” said Powell.
He made the difficult decision to enter the transfer portal and leave his dream school, and he wasn’t sure where he would go. He reflected back to high school, a conversation with the hitting coach at Seminole State Junior College.
“I remember he told me, if anything ever happens, like you need a place to go, I got you. Trust me, I got you,” said Powell.
“We immediately reached out to him, got him here on a visit and the rest is history,” said Coach Mack Chambers, Seminole State head baseball coach.
Powell went to work showing his appreciation for a second chance to his new coaching staff.
“He never shied away from the work that I threw at him, it was intense,” said Chambers.
By the end of the season, the hard work paid off with national recognition.
“Division One National Junior College Athletics Association player of the year,” said Powell.
“He’s special. For me he’s one of those special guys you probably won’t coach too many times in your coaching career,” said Chambers.
Powell’s story of perseverance will continue, as he has entered his name in the major league baseball draft, he has also accepted an offer to play at Oklahoma State University next year in the event his name isn’t called.
“It’s about perseverance, one thing that happens in your life isn’t going to determine who you are or what kind of baseball player you are going to be,” said Powell.
The Major League draft starts this Sunday, and it is a real possibility that Caden’s name will be called, of course, it is tough not to cheer for such an amazing young man.
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