Beyond the Game with Marc Gallegos: Building to the Future

By Josh (9 Inning Know It All):

9 Inning: Who influence you growing up in terms of playing baseball?

MG:  There were a couple of people.  My father did a really good job of pushing baseball as a fun game instead of like a job. So he did a really good job of balancing when I wanted to play it as a game instead of work.  Then when I got to high school, my high school Coach Dave Gasser, who ended up being the winningest coach in Oregon (high school baseball), did a great job of teaching all of his players to play baseball on the field, and off the field to grow in life instead of just baseball all the time.  It was a great balance of how to work hard on the field and get better at not just baseball.

9 Inning: What were your goals your freshman year of baseball at Corban?

MG:  It was a big unknown for me, coming from a smaller high school.  I was really excited just to see the atmosphere of a college program.  My goal was to be the starting short stop and then to just work hard every single day from there.  I didn’t really know what I could do in the league or the nation at that point.  So it was just carrying over work ethic every single day and trying to get that spot and work from there.

9 Inning: Your freshman year you earned All-NAIA West 1^st Team honors as well as being on the NAIA West Golden Glove team. What does it mean to get those awards your freshman year?

MG:  It was pretty special.  Midway through the season I didn’t even think about those awards.  I didn’t even realize that I could get them.  Then I started to realize this could be a special year.  As far as the team goes we had our second best season in the history of the program and it was really special to feel like I did a big part of that.  It was a great season for all of us and at the end of the year when coach told me I had gotten those awards it was a great feeling that as a freshman I had an impact on the team. It was good.

9 Inning: During the summer you played with the Corvallis Knights.  What was your experience playing in that league with the wood bats?

MG:  It was great.  The guys that I was playing with and the caliber of play was something I’ve watched as a kid but wasn’t something I’ve ever done. It was really cool to have that atmosphere where thousands of fans are at the game.  [Also there was] great big publicity like commercials and all that cool stuff.  The guys that I was playing with had a lot of really good baseball experience coming from the Pac-12 and the Big West, D-1 programs and they were just really good baseball players.  It was great to play with them and compete with that kind of caliber of play.

9 Inning: With Corvallis you had a pretty strong summer ranking in the top 10 in batting average, runs and triples, along with being the league leader for stolen bases for the West Coast League.  Were you surprised by your success?

MG:  I was a little surprised.  It was really nice to know that the success that I had here at Corban, and I was able to carry it over into that league against that level of competition.  You know I feel like it was a lot to do with our coaching staff at Corban and how even if we are a smaller school we push towards doing the best that we can.  It felt really good to compete with those guys and even to lead and it was great to even show that Corban is on the map.

9 Inning: The West Coast league has 160 alumni that have played baseball professionally and 16 have made it to the major league level with a few more on the door step.  So what is it like knowing that you and others on your team could become professional ball players and maybe even one of you making the major league level?

MG:  It’s really exciting to know that later down the road I’ll probably see a couple of those guys, my teammates, playing.  It is going to be really cool just to watch them on the TV. The Corvallis Knights is a great program and there have been a lot of guys that have gone on. The coaching staff has just been great. They really treat you just as a person and how you have these skills and how you can use them.  It was great to have that type of staff.  And if I do get the opportunity to play baseball professionally that would be amazing

9 Inning: What are the goals you have set for yourself with both Corban University and the Corvallis Knights?

MG:  The biggest goal for Corban is that I would really like to get to the World Series.  As a team it’s something we’ve never done and I think we had a great start last year.  We lost our players pretty much last year but we have a great class coming in this year, a ton of new guys.  Already in just the weeks that we’ve been out here it’s been awesome.  We’ve been playing really well and I hope that as a team we can get to the World Series.  As for personal goals I just hope that I can do everything that I did last year better.  Work hard every day and grow a little, hopefully I’m a little stronger.  Just every accomplishment I had last year:  to work hard and make it better.

9 Inning: You’ve shown that you have enough skill to play at another school but you chose Corban.  Why did you choose Corban University?

MG:  Going through high school I had quite a bit of recruiting and interest.  I didn’t even know Corban was a school until one of my favorite teachers at my high school named Scott Fitchett, who went to Corban, told me, “Hey they got a new coach.” I didn’t even know what Corban was.  So I looked it up and said wow this is pretty weird because I really liked the coach. I knew him before hand, Mr. McKay, and so we took a visit and he talked with me about the program that he has and it worked out just perfectly.  The school that I was planning on going to before Corban decided that they didn’t want me to go there. So they took away the scholarship offer.  So Corban really just came into my life.  It wasn’t something I went after, it found me.  I just feel that it was God speaking to me to come here. I think it’s been the best decision that I’ve ever had. I’ve grown a lot in that first year and I’m really excited to keep growing with this school, with this program and as a person.

9 Inning: With Corban being a Christian University it does have that faith aspect.  So how has faith impacted you as a baseball player whether it’s playing here at Corban or with Corvallis?

MG:  I just couldn’t even imagine playing baseball without God behind me.  I don’t understand how these guys play not knowing who they are playing for. It’s kind of interesting.  Faith has the biggest impact on my life with baseball.  It’s really put baseball in its own, giving it balance on what to give and how to play.  It’s been great playing for Corban. I’ve learned a lot and I love how Corban baseball players handle themselves on and off the field.  It’s been a great experience.

Then coming from Corban to the Knights, it was a whole new atmosphere with those guys.  It was just awesome to feel what I did in the spring with Corban and then go to that program just gives me alot strength to keep going toward my faith.  It’s great to play for God. It’s a lot different than just playing for yourself.

9 Inning: What advice would you give to players at the little league or high school level who are trying to play baseball in college or even for a summer league team like Corvallis?

MG:  Growing up as a kid and playing little league it’s all about fun.  You can’t really play baseball if you’re not having fun.  As a kid it’s going to be fun to make those great memories of making a great play or helping your team win a state championship.  All of those little things just drive you farther and farther because you feel the success that you had once. It just really drives you to have fun and enjoy your teammates, and just keep striving.  Though, high school college is a huge step.  Everyone is talking about playing college baseball and it’s kind of nerve wracking. You can really achieve anything you want in life. If you want to play you need to see what you need to do better, and find that out for yourself. Then just keep working towards that. If you’re a good high school player, the skills are there to play college baseball it’s just about understanding what you need to do mentally.  Like slowing down the game and things like that, which make a college baseball player.

Check out my previous two interviews in the Beyond the Game series:

Josh Parr

Adam McConnell