The Patriots' Journey Man
From Air Force to Va. Tech to a Single Season With Mason, Reade Finds His Place
Ben Reade has the second-lowest ERA for a 42-12 George Mason team that will face South Carolina tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
(By Rafael Suanes -- George Mason University)
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
After the warmup pitches have been thrown and the ball has been tossed around the infield, George Mason third baseman Dan Palumbo always delivers it back to pitcher Ben Reade with the goad, "Let's go, old man."
No sweeter words have ever been spoken to Reade, who at 24 is the oldest member of the Patriots baseball team, which opens NCAA tournament play tomorrow. As he crams four years worth of college baseball into this, his one and only season with George Mason, Reade savors every moment -- even the gentle teasing from his teammates.
"That's [Palumbo's] little thing, his little dig," Reade said. "The whole team does it. I'm lucky to be a part of it."
Perhaps it is telling that the curveball is Reade's best pitch, considering how many life has thrown his way. Though less than a mile separates Robinson Secondary School from George Mason in Fairfax, Reade's journey from standout high school player to valuable college contributor took six years and several twists and turns.
A late bloomer in high school, Reade didn't receive many scholarship offers during his senior year of high school in 2003. Old Dominion made a late run at him, but by then Reade was set on going to a military academy. He chose Air Force because he liked Colorado and was excited about piloting jets one day.
Before he enrolled at Air Force, Reade attended the academy's prep school, a typical path for athletes at military academies. He enjoyed his year at prep school, making several lasting friendships. But once he became an Air Force cadet, Reade realized he had made a mistake.
"I got to the academy and it just wasn't what I was looking for," Reade said. "It was so different from the prep school."
Reade lasted only one semester at Air Force. His next stop was Virginia Tech, which had offered him a walk-on spot on its team out of high school. He enrolled in school for the spring semester in 2005 but wasn't allowed to play for the Hokies because of NCAA transfer rules.
"Talk about night and day," Reade said. "You go from having no freedom at all to unlimited freedom. You wake up in the morning and don't have to put on a uniform. You can wear sweat pants to class. This is living."
His new outlook soon was clouded by increasing problems with his shoulder, an injury that prevented him from ever taking the mound for the Hokies. After the fall semester in 2006, Reade left Virginia Tech, returned to Fairfax and sought out his former baseball coach at Robinson, Bill Evers.
"He was lost a little bit," Evers said. "He had just gotten to a point where he was searching for an answer."
Evers suggested Reade try coaching and invited him to be the junior varsity pitching coach at Robinson. It was a way for Reade to stay involved in baseball while he sorted everything out.
