FRANKLIN, VA (WTKR)- Baseball has always been a part of Aidan McDonald. After his freshman season at James Madison, however, he would find himself at a crossroads.
"I kind of got released from JMU last year and I was dealing with some injuries and some other stuff at home," McDonald recalled. "[I] made the decision to take the fall off."
Now a sophomore outfielder at Paul D. Camp, McDonald has been involved with the sport for as long as he can remember. His brothers were both baseball players and his father was his high school coach, which only amplified his passion for the game. This past fall, for the first time in his life, he would not hear the crack of the bat or feel the grass under his shoes, taking some much-needed time to rethink, reevaluate and reset.
"I feel like it was good to get away from the game for a little bit," he said. "As months went on, it kind of grew distant and I kind of missed it a lot."
"He was actually a young man I called on the way back from the World Series last year," remembered Camp head coach Daniel Rollins, who recently reached a milestone of 100 career victories. "We knew he had gone in the portal and we wanted to get him here and he just couldn't decide what he really wanted to do, but decided this winter that he was ready to get back into it."
McDonald missed the team environment and the game as a whole. That was enough to eventually pull him back to the base-paths. The Paul D. Camp program gave him the chance to reinvigorate his love of the game.
"It's one of the best seasons I've played so far in terms of just enjoying it for the game," the sophomore left fielder said. "It's just been a great time here at Camp."
"[He] earned his spot and earned a job and he's been our starting left fielder and lead-off guy and really been the tone-setter for us offensively and done an amazing job for us," added Rollins.
Now he's making his mark on his new program and catching the attention of others. Rollins noted that a handful of Division I and Division II programs have inquired about McDonald as he sets his sights on once again playing at the highest level.
"He's definitely got a number of opportunities that I'm excited about for him and excited that he's going to have a choice to make at the end of the year about what he wants to do and where he wants to pursue his degree and keep playing baseball," the head coach said.
"Play somewhere similar to this, just a really good culture and community," McDonald said of his next step.
No matter where he ends up, McDonald's short time at Camp could be describe as a home run in itself. It's an experience that's left an impact on him and one that he'll remember for as long he takes the field and after his career has come to a close.
"Just a lot of good guys down here, a lot of good coaches," he said. "It's been such a short amount of time and I've just grown to know a lot of these guys really well."
"To have a guy who has played at the highest level of college baseball and come back here to kind of rebuild himself up and to earn more opportunities elsewhere, I'm really excited for him and the future that he has for himself," Rollins added.
McDonald and the Hurricanes have a big weekend ahead. Camp is ranked No. 9 among junior college programs in the country and the team will host Surry Community College Saturday and Sunday. Surry is ranked No. 7 in the nation. Saturday's double-header begins at 1:00 PM, with Sunday's series final getting underway at 1:00 PM as well.
