By, Matt Alkire
Midlothian High School
utility man Daniel Rushing is a young man that simply loves the game of
baseball. When talking to prospects, many say they are devoted to the sport
they play, but when talking to them rarely do you find one that you feel has a
soul completely consumed by the game – as if the dirt and chalk of the diamond
are coursing through their veins. This 6-foot, 170-pounder from Waxahachie,
Texas is one of those unique players and it pours through his every word.
“You know, baseball is only
dull to dull minds,” Rushing told us. “It takes someone that really appreciates
all the games that are played inside the game to grasp the full excitement of
it. You have to be mature to play baseball, but you still have to have a lot of
little kid in you to play this game.”
“A quote I love about
baseball is from Pete Rose. He said he would walk through hell in a gasoline
suit to play baseball and that’s how I feel about the sport. I emulate the way
he played because that was a man who would sprint to first after a walk and
just played his butt off on every single play because he loved it.”
Rushing’s favorite players
all seem to share the same traits or have a story behind them.
“When I was in the Dominican
Republic playing I got to hear Robinson Cano’s story which is really
impressive,” Rushing added. “When the Yankees originally wanted to sign him
they only offered him $30,000 and his parents told him not to take it. Cano
didn’t care. He just wanted to get on the field and prove his worth and now
he’s one of the best in baseball, if not the best 2nd baseman. I’m
not a Yankees fan by any means, but then I look at someone like Mariano Rivera
who has essentially thrown one pitch for 15 years and just remained absolutely
dominant with it. That’s amazing. He’s one of the best pitchers in the history
of baseball in my opinion and he’s just been perfect at one thing, what he
does. I also look up a lot to Mike Trout who is a great five-tool player and
Bryce Harper because when that guy gets on the field he just leaves everything
out there no matter what the results are.”
Rushing definitely has fire
in his belly, so you can sense the maturity, but there is a kid in him as well.
He loves talking about his teams.
“I’ve played for the
Duncanville Texans which is my select team since I was 7 years old and we’ve
pretty much had the same players and had the same coach since that time,”
Rushing explained. “Coach (Rey) Lopez has taken us to the USSSA Triple Crown
and Super Series tournaments on a yearly basis and the man taught me most of my
baseball. He’s just a very understanding and extremely laid back guy who
approaches everyone differently by getting inside them and figuring out what
makes them tick to get the best out of them. Coach Lopez is definitely a
players’ coach and he knows the game better than anyone I’ve ever seen before.
My favorite moment playing under him was when we came in first place in the
AAYBA World Series in Flower Mound when I was 14 years old.”
The Waxahachie native went on
to talk more about his beloved skipper.
“We just have a cool
relationship in the way we respect each other because even though I grew up
playing for him it’s more of a friendly relationship than what you’d see out of
a player and a coach,” Rushing offered. “If there’s something I see and that I
think he doesn’t see, it’s acceptable to point it out to him and know he won’t
be offended. He’s always open to suggestions that will make us a better team.”
Rushing also batted .309 and
had a .465 on base percentage for Midlothian High School this past year. He
spoke to us about his time with the Panthers.
“I’ve played varsity since my
freshman year and became a full-time starter in center field as a sophomore,”
Rushing said. “I got moved to right field as a junior and this year I’m going
to play center and third base. I also pitch which I believe is actually what
I’m best at.”
As for a repertoire, the
6-footer does have some nasty stuff to get over the plate for a guy who isn’t a
number one.
“I throw a four-seam,
two-seam, curve, straight change, circle change and am developing a knuckle
ball that is getting pretty nasty. I haven’t been clocked on my fastball since
I was 14 years old and it was at 81 MPH back then, so I’d guess I’m at 85 or 86
right now. If I wanted to get it up there I’m sure I could top out around 88 on
a good day.”
His coach Ray Hydes has
different philosophies and a different style of coaching, but Rushing says it
does benefit the way he plays.
“Coach (Ray) Hydes works
really well playing small ball,” said Rushing. “It definitely benefits me
because I’m pretty fast and get good jumps to steal bases, but I have some
power as well. He’s definitely a guy that coaches with emotion and takes a
different approach, so it’s constructive for me to be able to combine that with
what I learn from Coach Lopez who is much more laid back.”
Rushing’s senior season will
be very important determining where he goes for college and he has lofty goals
which he communicated to us.
“I want to hit .500 with 30
double and 10 home runs this season. During football season I improved on my
max bench press and squat by 30 pounds each which I think will really help with
my power. As a team, we need to get into the state championship tournament this
season. It’s going to be difficult because we only have four seniors on the
team though. I should be pitching and playing the field to help out. Last year
we were beaten in the first round which was disappointing, but as funny as it
sounds I think our immaturity in terms of youth might be our greatest asset
this season. Sometimes when you’re young you just don’t know any better and got
out and play without a care.”
As for college, Rushing is
looking to see where he stands in the race of baseball. His goal is to play
this season and see how the dust settles after he’s gone against the best of
the best and then play at the highest level possible. The Lone Star product is
open to junior college so he can continue to get develop his craft. As he told
us, his commitment is to being, “the best baseball player I can be.”
Rushing sports a 3.7 GPA and
scored a 23 on his ACT, so academics are important to him. In speaking with him
you can definitely tell that baseball is of equal significance as well though.
He simply wants to, “follow his dream”.
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