Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Jeff Morel used to play baseball competitively. That is, until he came to the University of Kansas.
After touring the campus as an incoming freshman, Morel chose to attend KU rather than Fort Hays State, where he was offered a scholarship to play baseball. The KU campus, along with the friends he made through fraternity recruitment, convinced him to bleed crimson and blue.
“I decided to give up baseball and pursue a career in a fraternity,” he said jokingly.
Baseball has always been a big part of Jeff Morel, Lenexa junior. Morel played in high school as a pitcher and outfielder and also played for the K.C. Barnstormers, a team for players who hope to one day play at the collegiate or professional level. While he doesn't plan on being a player, Morel does hope to one day open a baseball academy.
Even though his competitive days are done, Morel still keeps active by playing intramural baseball with his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, 1602 W. 15th St., refereeing basketball games and planning his post-college dream: opening a baseball academy.
Morel started his baseball career at the young age of 2, when he still needed a stand to hold his baseball.
And he just kept playing.
During high school, Morel dedicated himself to baseball. He trained, strengthened his body and competed to better himself and earn an athletic scholarship.
Now a junior in communications, Morel is looking into the future to create a baseball academy like the K.C. Barnstormers, the academy he trained at in high school.
Barnstormers, 9825 W. 67th St., in Merriam, offers lessons to those wanting to improve their baseball skills. Lessons are offered to people of all ages, but the real competitiveness is found in the high school players who try out for one of the four teams. The competition is extreme and Karl Carswell, owner of the Barnstormers, had to turn some people away.
“He wants to develop a core group of players to work well,” Morel said.
Back then, a regular summer week was hectic for Morel. Fielding and hitting practices were Monday through Wednesday, and tournaments were Thursday through Saturday. The teams often traveled to Tennessee, Oklahoma and Missouri for games.
When he reminisced on his Barnstormer days, Morel remembered the challenges in training, but recalled the on-the-road stories with a smile, the ones of prankster high school boys cooped up in a hotel room.
Morel said owning his own baseball academy would be the best of both worlds. He could own a business and also have the perks of a hands-on job.
“I could wear gym shorts and a T-shirt to work everyday,” he said.
As a part of Barnstormers, recruiters saw the players compete regularly, something Morel also plans on doing for his academy.
Twice a year Carswell had a showcase weekend when he invited recruiters from surrounding colleges to watch his high school teams play each other. However, Morel said there were recruiters at almost every tournament game.
Nowadays, despite his love for baseball, Morel said he referees basketball games instead of baseball because of the conditions baseball referees deal with.
“Baseball is hard on the body, standing around for hours,” Morel said. “It’s like you’re a spectator with pads.”
For now, Morel will continue to play intramural baseball with his fraternity and dream of the day he can wear gym shorts and T-shirts to work.
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