Written By Jefferson Reese '15
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – With only a month left in the baseball season, freshman Austin Fisher (AF) took time out of his schedule to talk with Santa Clara Broncos (SCB).
SCB: What is your favorite part of Santa Clara University as a freshman?
AF: My favorite part of Santa Clara so far has been how well people have treated me. Being a freshman on the team I was worried about being behind or not as good as the upperclassmen, but we have a great group of guys on the team who took in the freshmen and treated us well which made adjusting to being a student-athlete so much easier. The constant support from my coaches and teammates has been awesome and really allowed me to feel like a part of the bronco family that the team is trying to create.
SCB: How does playing close to home have an impact on you?
AF: Playing close has been really nice because it allows me to have tons of support around me if I ever need it. My parents are able to come to all of my home games and I am close enough where other relatives and friends can come out and see me. This is really nice because its allows for me to show the people I love what I have accomplished and where my hard work has gotten me and I wouldn't be where I am today without them.
SCB: What motivates you throughout the course of the season?
AF: Our team goal of making it to the College World Series is what motivates our entire season. Knowing that every player has the same aspirations as you do really helps because you are all on the same page and are working toward a common goal. We have faced a lot of adversity this year as a team, but we are a close-knit group of guys and I feel we have responded well to the adversity and have really embraced this idea of doing something special this year as a team.
SCB: What are your goals, both personal and team, for the remainder of the season?
AF: Some personal goals I have are to become a more balanced player by getting stronger and improving my hitting. I feel these two aspects will most benefit my game. Hitting is probably the most important aspect for me to develop into a better and more balanced baseball player, so I am out there before and after practice working to get better in order to reach my goals. As a team, our goal from here on out is to make the conference tournament and to do that we need to finish fourth or higher in league. Even though we haven't gotten off to a great league start, I feel like we are in a good place as a team to make a run and get into the conference tournament. Last year the baseball team made it to the conference tournament, so we are hoping to build off of that and win it. From there we are working toward making it to a regional and then eventually the College World Series.
SCB: What pre-game, in-game and/or post-game rituals do you partake in?
AF: On game day, I get to the field an hour before we are supposed to because I don't like to be rushed. During this time I listen to music and have a pack of strawberry Hi-Chew before we get going. The last ritual I do is during warm-ups, I take five minutes to visualize myself having a good day on the field and this calms me down from any pregame jitters I may have.