For many athletes, their ultimate goal is to play their sport professionally. Unfortunately, only a small percentage actually get to live their dream. Many of these athletes come from Division I power conferences such as the SEC and the Pac-12. However, some have been able to find their way to the pros from elsewhere, including Union University.
Throughout its history, Union has had 70 players make it to the pros including 30 men’s basketball players, 34 baseball players, five women’s basketball players, and one softball player.
Charlie Wilson, a former forward on the men’s basketball team, was the latest men’s basketball player from Union to go pro. In 2018, he signed a contract to play with the Rivadavia Comodoros, a professional team in Argentina.
Emily Bennett, a former outfielder for Union’s softball team, was the only softball player from Union to ever play professionally. She was part of the American Softball Association’s 2018 Summer League Draft and was chosen 45th overall by the Future 1s.
What players like Wilson and Bennett have been able to accomplish is something that the whole Union community can be proud of. However, these players’ legacies do not stop there.
Their success also serves as a motivation for current athletes. It helps them to see that no matter where you are, you can still live your dream.
Ryan Lee, sophomore baseball player and sports management major, is one of these players. His dream has always been to play baseball professionally. Before he came to Union, he knew that several players had gone pro from the program, but when he arrived, he set out to learn who those players actually were.
“Something that I’ve looked at this year is the home run record for our school,” Lee said. “It was broken by Luis Ortiz, and he played for the Boston Red Sox. Now, of course, I want to break that record just because if he can break that record and get drafted, then I wonder if I break that record how it would go.”
Tyree Boykin, men’s basketball player and junior business administration major, is another athlete who has been impacted by players that have come before him. Like Lee, Boykin has always wanted to go pro. In fact, he plans on entering the NBA draft in the future.
When he was first looking at Union, Boykin did not know that players had gone pro from here, but while he was on his visit, his coach told him that numerous players had been able to play professionally after their time at Union.
Boykin said that there is a list of these players hanging on the wall in their locker room. This list serves as a huge motivation to Boykin as he works to accomplish his goals.
“As I look at that list, for me, it’s almost like playing a game within the game,” Boykin said. “I always make sure that I’m in the present, but at the same time, I can’t say that I don’t compete against those guys on that wall. I want my impact to be just as big or greater, honestly, than all those guys on the wall.”
The players from Union that have been able to play professionally serve as proof that you do not have to go to a big Division I school to accomplish even the loftiest of goals.
“Seeing those players is like motivation because, you know, at a Division II school, it’s a lot harder to get drafted than somebody that’s at like Georgia or Alabama,” Lee said.
Ultimately, both Lee and Boykin want to add their names to the list of players who have gone pro from Union.
“I want to be on the wall,” Boykin said.
