How NOLA Built Me - By Keagan Gillies - Tulane University Athletics

I've been playing baseball since I was about three years old.

My brother was the one who got me into it after he started playing when he was 12. I was always playing T-ball out in the yard with him, throwing with him for as long as I can remember.

Going to his games when he was in high school and in college is what drove me to really pursue baseball when I got older.

Although it wasn't always that way.

I was a big basketball player. Literally, I'm six-foot-eight now and have been pretty tall most of my life. But it was something I had to choose between when the time came to decide what direction I wanted to go in.

I was originally born in Laplace, Louisiana, which is where I really got my start playing the game in recreational leagues before joining up with a travel-ball team which I mainly stayed in as I got older.

When my family moved from Laplace to the city of New Orleans, surprisingly I wasn't too far away from some of the great friends I made back in Laplace or family, as by the time I made my way to Brother Martin High School I had a cousin and a good friend both playing with me as Crusaders.

For those that don't know Brother Martin plays in the Catholic League, one of the toughest and strongest high school sports districts in the state of Louisiana. Made up of large schools all in the New Orleans metro area, the league has produced a number of players in all different sports who have played on the highest level.

It was definitely a far cry from the smaller schools I was used to in Laplace.

The number of students, and the amount of people who tried out just for the baseball team to make the roster was quite intimidating. In the eighth grade alone, I remember there were at least 50 guys trying out for one of the varsity roster spots and you knew someone was getting cut, and it very well could be you.

Wakeup call received.

I knew I would need to step my game up, take practice seriously and really work at trying to be better every day. Not only did that attitude help make me better throughout my career on the diamond, but in school as well.

Growing up we all have dreams of one day making it to majors. No matter who you are or when you start, getting that call up is one of the top goals you set for yourself and it's definitely still one of mine.

But before that I had one goal of mine that I wanted to achieve that I got to check off the list when I signed my National Letter of Intent back in 2016 – become a Tulane Green Wave.

Ever since I was young had a dream of going to Tulane just like my dad Keith. After earning his bachelor's at the University of New Orleans, he continued his education and got his master's from Tulane. He was always a big Tulane supporter and I would always remember coming to a lot of home games here on campus when I was younger.

I even had my very own Tulane baseball jersey that I would wear all the time.

All. The. Time.

It's been an amazing experience knowing that I've gotten to wear this jersey for the last two years and getting ready to start a third this week when we open the season against George Washington. When I got that first offer from Tulane, I couldn't believe it, because it was something I dreamed about for so long.

And just like it was at Brother Martin, when I got to Tulane I had a lot to learn.

I couldn't throw to college hitters like I threw to high school baseball hitters. I had to think differently in college classes than when I did when I was in high school classes. This was an old hat for me, and fortunately one I was prepared for after all the work I put in to get here.

I still have the dream of getting drafted and playing in Major League Baseball. I know that goal is still there and something that I hope to achieve in being another Green Wave player getting drafted to play on the big stage.

But at the same time, I didn't come to Tulane without knowing that I would have the opportunity to get the same type of education my dad did. Something he really helped me with was making sure I took the lessons I learned in baseball and applied them to what I was doing in the classroom.

As a finance major, being in the business world is all about working with a team and getting the most out of what we do as a group. Just like I trust the defense behind me, I have to trust my classmates and co-workers when I get into the working world.

Hard work, dedication and teamwork has gotten me this far, and I know going forward that it's those three things that will push me to success later on.

My name is Keagan Gillies and I am NOLA BUILT!

How NOLA Built Me - By Keagan Gillies

Players Mentioned

Keagan Gillies

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