"Play more games."

Hayden Burns, from Washington, Missouri, is currently in his first semester at Missouri State - West Plains. He joins Carter Mize in this episode of the Rawlings Tigers Alumni Spotlight.

Burns is part of a brand-new program at Missouri State - West Plains. The junior college program is making its debut this year.

"We have team breakfast every day before classes, followed by hitting groups and practice right after," Burns explains. "Our coaches want us to set a standard of hard work and dedication to the program."

Unlike NCAA schools, the NJCAA has no practice time regulations, allowing junior college programs to schedule additional practice hours.

"I've already noticed significant improvement in both my defensive and offensive skills since arriving here. The amount of work I'm putting in on a daily basis is night and day compared to a high school baseball schedule."

He credits his Tigers summer schedule for helping him prepare for college baseball.

"My Tigers teams always faced opponents who were either equal to or better than us. That pushed me as a player, and I think I grew a lot from that challenging schedule."

#Train #Educate #GrowTheGame

By: Carter Mize
Rawlings Tigers National Director - Player Development