Ranging to his left, Dillon Baker is hot on the trail of a baseball screaming up the middle of the infield. Baker has to move quickly. He dives towards the ball with an outstretched glove. In one fluid motion Baker rolls onto his backside and rifles a ball to the first baseman for the out.
Baker made an extraordinary play seem simple. But life hasn’t always been so easy for Baker.
Baker, a native of Tampa, Florida, is the starting shortstop for the Miami University baseball team. But his journey has come with a few speed bumps along the way.
In Baker’s freshman year, he was cut from his high school team.
“In that moment, I thought it was wrong. I thought I should have been there,” said Baker.
That’s when former Florida State University baseball coach Clyde Keller stepped in. He had Baker play summer ball for him and told Baker about a coach at a rival high school. The coach wanted him to transfer to his school and prove the doubters wrong.
The move paid dividends. Baker made varsity his sophomore year, with a culminating moment during his junior season.
“We actually ended up beating the team that had cut me,” said Baker. “That was one of the best highlights of my high school career.”
Despite that success, Baker had no college offers coming out of high school and didn’t know where to go next. He turned to his dad.
“Look, you’re 17-years-old,” said Baker, reminiscing on his father’s advice. “Go play junior college (JUCO) ball, go chase your dream.”
Baker followed his father’s advice and attended Shoreline Community College (SCC) in Seattle. He played well before COVID-19 interrupted the season. After canceling the 2021 season, Baker was faced with another crossroads. His time at SCC was up and he still wasn’t being recruited. So where did he go from here?
Kenny Keller, Baker’s best friend, helped answer the question. In their gym parking lot back in Tampa, they decided to commit to another JUCO: College of the Desert (COD) in Palm Desert, California.
Baker’s COD stint was much more productive than his shortened season at SCC. This lone season earned him the starting second baseman job at Miami last season.
Before the current season began, new RedHawks head coach Brian Smiley saw potential in Baker to move from second to shortstop. Despite Smiley’s earlier reservations, Baker ended up winning the starting shortstop role.
“Honestly [Baker] had probably gotten beat out at shortstop through October and November but the way he came back after the fall, I could tell he worked hard,” said Coach Smiley.
Smiley is Baker’s 10th head coach in nine seasons of playing baseball.
“I’ve kind of gotten used to it in a way where I don’t really expect to come in and be known by anybody,” said Baker. “I feel like that’s kind of just been my life. I’ve gotten used to it and I’ve kind of learned to appreciate it in a way that … I’m never satisfied with anything.”
Baker trots back to his shortstop position. Baker tracks a ball hit to his right, positioning his body to make a stop. A lip in the grass pops the baseball over Baker’s head into the outfield for a base hit.
He jogs back to his position, ready for the next play, because life can never be that simple for Baker, but he always finds his way.
