MORAGA, Calif. - Being a collegiate baseball player takes more than just putting in time on the field and in the weight room. In addition to practices and games, a student-athlete must also excel in the classroom and in the community, but balancing all of these requirements takes skill and determination.
 
To help his players meet the rigorous day-to-day challenges posed by being a Division I baseball student-athlete, Saint Mary's baseball head coach Greg Moore will institute "Diamond University," a life skills and personal development course for baseball players at SMC.

"Over the past 13 years, the DU program has been building with great results," said Moore. "I am excited to bring it to Saint Mary's where we can share the message with our athletes and the community about life and sports. We want to give perspective on what it means to be an athlete. At the same time, let's build an increased appreciation for the day-to-day life of a Division I baseball player."

The 10-week course will be based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey and will focus on goal setting, active listening, communication skills and time management. The program is very specific to baseball players in that it is built on examining the skills needed to excel in every aspect of a college baseball player's daily schedule. By using "The 7 Habits" as a guide, participants will be able to draw a clear connection between their lives and the skills they are working to develop. Ultimately, the goal for Diamond University is to tie in how each and every action off the field translates to success on the field. Furthermore, it will indicate how the skills needed to succeed in one mirror those needed for the other.
 
"The results show up on the field because in the 20 hours per day that our student-athletes are not baseball players, we realize that everything we do matters and every rep counts," said Moore. "I want our players to learn from examples like Don DeLong '51, a Saint Mary's graduate and long-time small business owner," said Moore. "He can connect lessons learned in college with a players' future success." 
 
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