PACK TALK

The Dirty Terps head to Los Angeles to face the #1 team in the country in the 2015 NCAA Regional round. After returning from Minneapolis without any hardware, we quickly had to prepare for wherever we would be heading the following week for the NCAA Tournament. Losing the conference tournament back-to-back was a tough pill to swallow, losing to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship in 2014 and now to Michigan in the BIG10 Championship. The only memory that any of us had from t

Often overlooked at the lower levels, pre-season preparation is crucial to a player’s success in the season. This week Alex gets into his pre-season preparation for the spring of 2015 for the Terps. As a student-athlete finals week was always a time of the year that I looked forward to for many different reasons. Academically it meant the end of the semester where a short, yet well-earned break had arrived. Athletically, it meant that the spring season was around the corner,

In part two of two, Alex goes through his pre-MLB Draft process and the remainder of the fall semester. Going into my junior fall semester, I knew this was going to be my last year as a Terp. I desperately wanted to make the jump to the next level and become a professional. After the summer in Keene, I felt I was ready to play with an affiliate on my chest, I just had to prove it now. Coming back to Maryland in the fall of 2014, I had my heart set on winning a role as a start

The summer of 2014 was a big summer for Alex, as he took the next steps as a ballplayer and a person in the preparation of his junior year at the University of Maryland. Summer ball is always an interesting time for every player in their own way. There are multiple collegiate summer leagues throughout the country, some are more well-known than others. For instance, the Cape Cod League is arguably the most distinguished of all the summer leagues, whereas a league like the Hamp

In Part 2, Alex talks about the ups and downs of his sophomore season and his experience playing in an NCAA Regional and Super Regional. April of my sophomore year was an eye-opening month. We played some good baseball, but also played some bad baseball. It seemed like when the offense would score a bunch of runs, the pitching staff couldn’t hold the lead, and when the pitching staff was dicing opposing line-ups, the offense couldn’t score any runs. It didn’t make a lot of se

No longer a new student-athlete on campus, Alex discusses the competitive culture and brotherhood in College Park during his sophomore year. After a humbling freshman season, I was anxious to get back to our field, Bob “Turtle” Smith Field in the fall of 2013. I had been fortunate enough to spend time in the Cape Cod Baseball League in Massachusetts and the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League in Maryland the past summer. I had the opportunity to share the field with some ex

This week we go back to the Spring of Alex's freshmen year where we are able to look into his first season in the ACC playing for the Terps. After the holidays I returned to College Park for preseason. I had gotten a little homesick during the first semester and missed my family, friends, and hometown. Part of me wished that I had another day or two at home to get another bacon, egg, and cheese with salt, pepper, and ketchup on a roll (BECSPK for my New Yorkers) or slice fro

We look into the fall of 2012 at the University of Maryland where Alex learns what it's like to be the fresh face on campus. I remember move-in day of my freshman year at the University of Maryland better than any other day from my past. My family drove me down to College Park with the car filled with things for my apartment, which made it fairly uncomfortable making the four-and-a-half-hour drive down from Long Island. I could have been strapped to the roof of the car; it di

The summer of 2012 is one that I would never forget, playing some of the best competition in the country in the Connie Mack League in Midland, OH. Summer ball was one of my favorite times of the year. The weather was incredible, there was no school, and I was able to focus on my craft. After my senior year of high school, I was looking forward to playing with my local travel team that consisted of my closest friends from school, as well as other talented ball players who I ha