Eric Crawford II had worked too hard in pursuit of his dream to play college baseball not to continue to believe.
But the West Lowndes High School senior admits it is difficult to stay positive after you’re essentially told, “Thanks, but no thanks” time after time after time.
One day after hearing words just like that after attending a tryout at Holmes Community College, Crawford II dusted himself off and went to another workout.
This time, Crawford II felt there was something to the words he heard after his workout.
“At first, I was like he is going to say the same thing all of the previous coaches said,” Crawford II said. “But when he said he was going to call me, I felt pretty confident he was going to call.”
Two days later, Tougaloo College assistant baseball coach Dante Benford made the call Crawford II had been waiting several months to receive. The news was exactly what he wanted to hear, too.
On Thursday, Crawford II completed the process when he signed an athletic scholarship to play baseball at Tougaloo, a historically African-American school in Jackson.
“It feels right that I finally get a chance to play at the next level,” said Crawford II, a 5-foot-7, 150-pound outfielder/pitcher with the Panthers. “I just worked hard and stayed with it and never gave up. I just felt like somebody would want me.”
Crawford hit .416, had 17 RBIs, and stole 20 bases in 22 attempts this past season for West Lowndes, which lost to Sacred Heart in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A State tournament.
Crawford II persevered through a recruiting process that saw him work out for Mississippi Delta C.C. coaches with teammate Wendell Rieves at West Lowndes High. As much as the Mississippi Delta coaches liked what they saw, according to Crawford II, he didn’t receive a scholarship offer. He then attended a tryout at Coahoma C.C. and heard a similar message — “We like what we see, but we aren’t going to offer you a scholarship. You can walk on, though.” Something similar happened after his workout at Holmes C.C., so it is easy to see why Crawford II would have become discouraged.
“It got a little hard,” Crawford said. “At one point I felt like I didn’t want to play anymore. But the people who support me and (West Lowndes High) coach (Todd) Stanley just told me to keep working and if it is meant to be, it is meant to be and to be ready for your opportunity when it comes.”
Crawford II seized the moment at Tougaloo College, which is an NAIA school that plays in the Gulf South Athletic Conference. Crawford II said he felt like his workout at Tougaloo was “one of the top ones” he had for college coaches. He said he was asked to hit, to pitch, to run, and to play outfield. He felt confident after the two-hour workout, but he admitted he wasn’t sold on the fact that the coaches were going to back up their praise with a scholarship offer.
Two days later, Crawford II discovered the Tougaloo coaches were true to their words.
“It felt great. It felt really great,” Crawford II said of the phone call he received with the news he was getting a scholarship offer to play baseball. “I kind of figured at that point I was going to get an offer. I was just waiting for it to be official.”
Stanley coached Crawford II ever since the ninth grade. He said he never doubted Crawford II would get a chance to play baseball. He said it was a matter of finding the right fit.
“He was disappointed. There is no denying that,” Stanley said when asked how the lack of scholarship offers affected Crawford II. “I told him when one door closes another one opens up, so just stay positive and focus on being a leader for this team.”
Stanley said Crawford II continued to work hard and was a leader on and off the field. True to his work ethic, Stanley said Crawford II would come early and stay late. He also credited his senior standout for understanding that hard work will pay off. It’s just that sometimes you have to wait a little bit longer.
“He is a good kid who has a great family that supports him,” Stanley said. “He always has been one of the hardest workers on the team team. i always knew he had the drive and the want to to be successful. I knew it would work out for him. We prayed about it and thank God it did.”
Stanley feels Tougaloo is a very good fit for Crawford II because it is a strong academic field. He said that suits Crawford II perfectly because he plans to study Kinesiology or physical therapy.
On the field, Stanley said Crawford II is fundamentally sound in the outfield and is a solid hitter.
“They say dynamite comes in small packages,” Stanley said. “It is a cliche, but that is him. He can play. He will help them.”
That’s what Crawford II had been trying so hard to prove to coaches. And while it might have taken a little longer for him to find the right coach, Crawford II found the ones who liked what they saw and were willing to back it up with a scholarship offer.
“I always felt I was going to have to work hard to get something,” Crawford II said. “Some teams look for a specific position. I finally found a team that was interested in me and I was interested in them.
“I was surprised that somebody finally recognized me, and I just felt like somebody would want me. I am excited. I am ready. I am really ready. I can’t wait to get down there and play.”
NOTE: Rieves was named first-team All-State in Class 1A as a pitcher. Nanih Waiya Peyton Jones and Wyatt Ball were named second-team All-State as infielders.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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