GAME ON: From RI to the NCAA - Billy Cosmopulos
Thursday, March 24, 2011
For Bill Cosmopulos, former Moses Brown baseball star, high school baseball is a great springboard, but so different. Each year the most accomplished scholar-athletes take their awards and state championships and head off to compete in colleges and universities across the country.
Billy Cosmopulos
Moses Brown School
Georgetown
Baseball
How was the transition from being a high school athlete to becoming an athlete in college?
The transition from high school to college sports was pretty smooth for me. It's the same game just played at a higher level and we have all been doing it since we could walk. The biggest difference would have to be the time commitment. In college baseball for instance, we have practice for more than four hours a day. That does not even include time spent in the weight room or extra conditioning you're "expected" to do on your own. Once the season starts, you put an unbelievable amount of time into the sport. Plus we do have school to worry about.
What do you miss most about playing in high school?
I miss the ability to play more than one sport. I played both football and basketball in high school and the commitment to college baseball has forced me to only focus and compete in one sport. In high school in the northeast, everyone could play three sports and you really weren't hurt at all by playing in back to back seasons. In college, in the off-season, you're still playing baseball everyday so there is no time for other sports.
What is your biggest challenge as a college athlete?
My biggest challenge as a college athlete, and the challenge for a lot of people in my situation, has been going from one of the best players on the team to more of a role playing position. It isn't the same type of dominance that many people felt in high school because the competition is that much higher. Going from a starting pitcher in high school, to a relief pitcher who comes out of the bullpen in college was definitely the biggest switch for me. I have to prepare differently mentally and physically. As a bullpen player, you might have to pitch multiple days in a row. To get your legs and arms in that type of shape is much different than only throwing once a week.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your athletic career?
The most rewarding aspect of my athletic career has been the friendships that I have made along the way. Both in high school and in college, the people that you spend the most time with, your teammates, end up becoming your best friends. If you're lucky enough as I have been with really awesome teammates, you cannot ask for anything better. Nothing can beat the bond formed when you literally bleed, sweat and cry together with your best friends. That lasts a lifetime.
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