Gibsons' Mitch Rainer returned home in early December for a little R&R as he prepares for his first regular season with the Hill College Rebels.
Hill College is a NCAA junior college division one school in Texas located about an hour from Dallas and 30 minutes north of Waco.
Rainer, a graduate of Elphinstone Secondary School and three-time B.C. Premier League baseball champion with the North Shore Twins, headed to Texas in September.
He said his first few days on campus were a major life-changing experience.
"It was my first time away from home, so that was a big adjustment," he said. "But the team has been great and welcomed me. It was easy to get into the swing of things pretty quickly."
His first three months were spent on studies (he's taking general studies this year with an eye towards physical education) and getting used to the gruelling training schedule.
A typical day for Rainer and the rest of his Rebels' teammates sees classes in the morning with a three-hour practice starting at 12:30 p.m. followed by running drills and weight training. As the weather turned in November, the team headed indoors for practices, throwing drills and conditioning.
"When I first got down there it was 105 degrees out, so that was tough for the first couple of practices," Rainer said. "But I got used to the heat pretty quickly. I love wearing shorts to class every day."
The Rebels compete in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference, which is made up of Temple College, Ranger College, McLennan Community College, Weatherford College, Grayson College, Vernon College and North Central Texas College.
Hill College compiled an impressive 14-4 record in exhibition play, of which Rainer contributed playing third base and pitching. He expects to get a lot of innings once the regular season starts Feb. 2.
"Overall things went very well," he said. "I pitched well and coach Chris Rateike said he was impressed with my arm and told me I'd be first out of the bullpen once the regular season starts. That's just what I wanted to hear. I want to pitch a lot. I want to be overworked because I know my arm can handle it."
And with an increased role out of the bullpen and hopefully success, that translates into interest from pro scouts.
Rainer's goal is to get drafted within the next two years. If that doesn't happen, then he'll transfer to an NCAA university to up his chances.
"The goal for sure is to get drafted and get into a system of a major league team," he said. "In order to get noticed, you have to pitch a lot and pitch with success."
The Rebels have had more than 50 players drafted by pro teams with players like Brad Halsey, Brian Tallet, Dana Eveland and Joey Gathright all playing at the major league level.
"The break has been nice, but I'm looking forward to getting back and starting the season," Rainer said.
