For most seniors at Samford University, they are applying for graduation, applying for jobs and finishing up their senior theses. With just a couple months left in the semester, seniors reflect on their college careers.
For those playing sports, they are hoping to be able to keep playing professionally, but the fact that the number of times they walk onto the field are numbered is becoming exceedingly apparent for them.
For Samford baseball player John Anderson, baseball has been a part of his life since he was very young.
“I started playing baseball I believe when I was three, just the Sunday tee-ball thing,” said Anderson.
Anderson played baseball at Grayson High School in Suwanee, Ga. He was rated as the number two second baseman in the state of Georgia. He captained his senior season there, and when he was playing there, he knew where his baseball career was headed. Though he lost in the state championship semi-finals he knew that, as the highest- ranked hitter in the state, his career wasn’t over.
Anderson attended Georgia Tech for his first two years of college. He only saw 14 games in his freshman season, although he batted at a .227 average which is hard to do when you don’t see enough games to fall into a rhythm. During his Georgia Tech career, he had a .225 batting average and a .342 on-base percentage.
“I just thought Georgia tech just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Anderson said. “Kind of the way I play wasn’t the same way they wanted me to play over there, and all respect to them, I just thought Samford was a better fit.”
Anderson plays with more flare and passion than most baseball players. His favorite players are David Ortiz and, since he joined the league, Ronald Acuña.
Anderson, often compared to former Braves Second baseman Dan Uggla because of their similar stocky build, says that at Samford he feels more encouraged to play with the flair that makes him a better baseball player.
Samford randomly picked number 11 for Anderson, which happened to be his childhood number as well. Since arriving at Samford, he has resumed the level of play that earned him his high school’s homerun record, which he still holds.
He was voted to the 2023 All-SoCon Media First team and the 2023 All-SoCon Coaches second team. He started and played in 60 games. In those 60 games, Anderson held a batting average of .271, led the Southern Conference with 22 home runs and came up big in a lot of games.
One of his most notable games of last season came against a 17-7 win for the bulldogs in which he hit two grand slams. He batted in nine of the 17 wins in that matchup.
“It’s crazy, the second one I didn’t even know until I was rounding second,” said Anderson. “I was thinking ‘Wow I don’t think I’ve ever done that’ and everyone in the dugout was going crazy … the fact I was able to do that twice in one game was pretty cool.”
Anderson looks towards the rest of his potential final season as the Bulldogs are currently sitting at 11-5 in the middle of a series against Purdue. They currently lead the series 1-0 with three games left.
“I’d say my goal for the senior season is to win another SoCon championship, then have some success in a regional and hopefully make a super-regional,” said Anderson.
Anderson’s method for consistent success has been taking it play-by-play, not letting the highs or the lows put too much weight on his shoulders and enjoying the family that he has found at Samford.
“I think baseball could be in my future, but I always have a backup plan,” Anderson said, “If baseball were to work out that would be awesome.”
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