Each Sunday during the 2016-17 school year, the Carson-Newman athletic communications department will shine a spotlight on a current or former Carson-Newman student-athlete looking to tell a tale of life outside of his or her respective sport.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Americans have been playing baseball since the mid-1800s as boys across the country have spent countless hours dreaming of the opportunity to be called a professional baseball player in the greatest pastime this nation has to offer.

In the summer of 2016, Vince Apicella, Dustin Batson and Brandon Roberts saw their dreams come true as each of the three signed a contract to play in the Independent League. Apicella, a left-handed pitcher, inked a deal with the Normal Cornbelters on June 16. Roberts, a third baseman at C-N, signed with Normal on July 18 and Batson, a right-handed hurler, put pen to paper just four days later with the Southern Illinois Miners.

The trio are far from the first Eagles to suit up on a pro baseball diamond. 48 former Carson-Newman baseball players have played professionally in one league or another dating back to 1904 when Pryor McElveen worked his way to the Major Leagues spending 1909-11 with the Brooklyn Superbas (in 1911 the team became known as the Dodgers).

Apicella is one of the most decorated players in Carson-Newman history. The southpaw is a two-time all-region honoree and an all-conference selection including being a unanimous first-team pick in 2016. In 2016, he set the program record for complete games in a season, seven, passing a mark that he and two other pitchers had set in previous seasons. The 2016 Brett Tomko Award semifinalist is one of four pitchers since 1994, the first year of Division II competition, to record two shutouts in a season doing so in 2015 and 2016.

"It was always my goal to eventually play at the next level in some league," Apicella said. "I just came in and worked hard each day. I was just hoping that someone would give me chance. I was blessed with that chance. [Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin] knew some people and I talked to them about it before my senior season started and he was able to get me in contact with some people that liked my final year and gave me a contract."

The hurler signed a day before a tryout he was supposed to attend with Batson in Pennsylvania. The right-hander attended the showcase and did not get a long look and needed to find another outlet for a chance to sign. Roberts was attending a workout in Florida and asked his former teammate to join him. It is a job interview unrivaled for those seeking employment in corporate America.

"It was about 100 kids with the same aspirations," Roberts said. "I got to field about five ground balls and I got four live at-bats. We didn't take batting practice. You don't get a lot exposure so you have to make the most of the chance. Coming to Carson-Newman, coach Griff gave me the mindset of taking advantage of the small opportunity that you get. You don't get that many. Honestly I didn't do that well. I had to be patient. I didn't think I did enough. I faced Batson who had a great tryout. He grooved me a fastball trying to help me out."

Batson had a dynamic senior season throwing 89 innings after tossing just 20 in his first season at Mossy Creek. Sporting a cut fastball sitting consistently at 90-91 at C-N, the flamethrower amped his velocity up to 94 miles per hour in the Sunshine State.

"It's a hit or miss chance," Batson said of professional showcases. "In Florida it was definitely a hit for me. I threw really well and I had to take advantage of the opportunity because my time was running out. Summer was coming to an end and I needed to be at my full potential to show people what I had and hope for the best. I went to Walters State for a Braves tryout after getting back from Florida. A buddy of Coach Griff's videoed me and sent it to a pitching coach with the Miners. From there he chatted with someone in Florida and the next day I got a call offering me a contract. I left the next morning at 5 a.m. and arrived around noon and was on the roster."

The trio pushed each other during their time as teammates for Carson-Newman having numerous days inside of the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex when the clock was sitting on midnight or later trying to get ahead of the competition. The elation of getting a call to professional is a feeling unmatched.

"I remember where I was when I got the call," Roberts said. "I was working hard all summer but when I got the call that I was going to get signed, I called my parents. Having them be proud of me for achieving that was very rewarding. It was a great experience. It was something that I worked for and to have it all come together was really great."

There are certain moments that people will never forget. Batson dove into a story of a young fan saying they would never wash their hand again after shaking the pitcher's throwing hand. All the Pisgah Forest, N.C. native could think of is that he was the one that was more excited than that child.

Each of the three former Eagles had similar moments of waking up and spending all day at a ball park with little else to worry about than going out a playing a game.

"It was a dream come true," Apicella recalled. "It was always something that I wanted to accomplish. Having kids come up to me asking for autographs and playing in front of big crowds was almost surreal. There wasn't a strict schedule so it was on me to make sure that I get my work it. You could not beat the atmosphere on a daily basis."

The trio were set to converge for a series when in the game prior to a Cornbelters versus Miners showdown, Batson felt something was wrong. Sitting around 90 mph during the majority of his senior season, the right-hander saw the No. 80 light up the scoreboard. He was taken out of the game and his 2016 summer came to a close.

"It's incredible, a kid's dream," Batson said of being on a mound in Southern Illinois. "I had been working to get to that point. Unfortunately I tore my UCL. The time that I spent there was unbelievable. I met a great group of guys. We still stay in contact. It was an unreal experience. I thank my parents and coaches for the past 15 years to help me get to that point. I'm going to give it one more shot and see if my arm holds up. I got a little piece of the pie and now I want the whole thing."

The 2016 South Atlantic Conference Championships All-Tournament team pick earned his degree in December and has been working out on the banks of Mossy Creek trying to get healthy in hopes of pitching again in 2017. Batson said that is going to make sure that when his career is over it's on his own terms.

Apicella has already signed a contract for the upcoming year with the Washington Wild Things located just outside of Pittsburgh in his home state of Pennsylvania.

"My hope is to be in the starting rotation since that is what I am most comfortable doing," Apieclla said. "Whatever they want me to do, I will do to the best of my ability as long as I can play baseball. My whole family lives around that area so it's really cool to have a lot of my family see me play at a high level for the first time since they didn't get a chance to make it down to Tennessee. Right now, I work as an electrician during the day. I come home and go throw most days and get in the gym. I am by myself and have to keep myself accountable and it's tough without a team there to motivate you. It's a daily grind, but one that will stay focused on trying to pursue my dream."

Roberts was offered a contract to return in 2017 spring training but has elected to hang up the spikes and continue in baseball as a coach. The 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-District pick is an assistant for C-N and hoping to share his knowledge with the next generation of professional aspirants.

"You hope that the guys have an open mind and that they are willing to hear what the coaches have to say," Roberts said of his new role as a mentor. "A big thing is trying to get guys to try things out. The guys on this team are respectful and are great kids. They know that we are trying to make them better."

Three different players with dissimilar circumstances and divergent futures. Roberts was a four-year starter at Carson-Newman. Apicella was a Division I transfer from Coastal Carolina that failed to make it through an inning twice as a sophomore. Batson was little more than an innings-eater as a junior.

Despite the various paths to a baseball career, reaching the pinnacle comes down to a simple theme among the trio, work ethic.

"You are going to good outings and bad outings whether you are a hitter or a pitcher," Batson offered. "Stay focused on that goal and do whatever it takes to reach that goal. I think it's important to have people that have the same mindset as you around you when you train. Having Brandon and Vinny around me meant going to the park at midnight to put in some extra work but I think that's what it takes."

For over 150 years, children have been dreaming of entering a ball park with screaming fans. In 2016, three Carson-Newman Eagles saw aspirations and years of hard work become a reality.

- CN -