The Many Paths to a Dream

My dad once told me that my path was different. He said good things would come from hard work and perseverance — that I'd accomplish my dream as long as I never gave up.

"Keep working hard and everything will take care of itself," he preached.

Things don't always turn out the way you expect in life.

I wasn't this kid that landed a Division I opportunity right out of high school. I had to scratch and claw my way through the junior college ranks before that opportunity finally came.

And when it did, things didn’t go as I envisioned.

That's when I learned what it felt like to fail.

Never in a million years did I think I'd be the one to seek help when things got bad. But there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful that I did.

One Step at a Time

Baseball has always been this constant in my life that connects my love for the game and my family.

I still remember looking out the window as a kid and waiting for my dad to get home from work just so we could play catch and maybe hit a few balls.

That was our thing, you know?

We really became best friends through the game. He instilled the love of the sport in me, and we would just work at it every day. I knew early on that I had some talent, and my dad knew it as well.

Obviously, every kid's dream is to play in the majors one day, but as a freshman in high school, my goal was to land a spot on the varsity team first.

One step at a time — that was my mentality.

Once I made varsity, it transitioned to wanting to play college baseball.

Well, I was able to accomplish that goal as well, but it was not in the way I'd hoped. Even though I felt like I was good enough to go to a Division I school, I ended up at a junior college program at South Mountain Community College.

I had no idea going to that school would be the best thing that ever happened to me.

The Long-Awaited Offer

Although I was playing college baseball now, it wasn’t Division I baseball.

And that sucked. I was disappointed.

But that's when my dad reminded me that everyone's path is different. I can't be out there comparing myself to other people. There are multiple pathways to accomplishing a dream, and if I worked hard enough, I'd eventually find mine.

It really wasn't until I bought into that mentality that things started to change. The coaches at South Mountain were incredible, and soon, I started to fall in love with the place.

You don't have all of the benefits at a community college that you'd have at a Division I school. The facilities are basically two cages, and the baseballs are torn apart. You get three shirts and two pairs of shorts to show for it.

I can honestly say I would have never appreciated all of the things a Division I school has to offer if I never went to community college.

But make no mistake, the competition out there was fierce, and I really had to put my head down and work hard to succeed. You have to work for everything you get out there.

My coaches pushed and challenged me every single day until that offer from the University of Nebraska finally came through. I just remember how thankful I was for the chance to play Division I ball.

Getting that offer was one of the best days of my life.

You know, there's a lot of kids that wish they could play Division I baseball, but it just doesn't happen for them. If anything, I realized how much of a blessing it was to have an opportunity to play college sports at the highest level.

I could appreciate it more because I knew what it felt like to be the kid that didn't get that offer.

It's a feeling I'll never take for granted.

Looking back, I’m very thankful that my baseball career took me through South Mountain Community College — not only for shaping the type of player I am today, but for introducing me to some of the greatest people I have ever met.

Excited to announce my commitment to The University of Nebraska! I’d like to thank to my coaches, teammates & most importantly my family for helping me achieve my lifelong dream. 🔴Go Big Red!🔴 #GBR🌽 pic.twitter.com/7cr9oue8Wa

— Efry Cervantes (@E_fry25) November 13, 2019

Putting Things Into Perspective

The game of baseball challenged me pretty hard early on at the Division I level.

You see, baseball is a game of failure, but I never failed as bad offensively as I did last year.

You finally get that DI offer and instantly hope for things to just fall in place. But then, new challenges await.

During last season, I was at the lowest point in my career.

I was hitting a wall and decided to seek out the help of Dr. Brett Woods, the Assistant Director of Sport Psychology here at Nebraska.

I never saw myself as someone who would ask for help in that regard, but after talking to a friend of mine, I knew it wouldn't hurt.

Dr. Woods heard me out and gave me some tools to get through everything I was dealing with at the time. From breathing techniques and positive self-talk to sleeping routines — it's amazing how much of a difference those things can make.

And my dad played the biggest role in all of this because he's the most positive person I know.

He explained to me that this was life's way of testing me. But he also put things into perspective by reminding me that baseball was just a game.

There's no reason to make it bigger than what it is.

"People are out there going through a lot worse stuff than you are right now," he said. "You're lucky your struggles are playing a baseball game. There are people losing their jobs or sick in the hospital. There are people out there that are homeless and hungry with no idea of where their next meal will come from. Now, that's hard. That's real hardship."

Hearing something like that makes you step back and just puts everything into perspective. He was right. I was truly lucky baseball was my only hardship.

At the end of the day, it really was just a game.

A Seed That's Planted

I've been counting my blessings ever since.

Coach Danny Marcuzzo compared what I went through to the laws of attraction. He basically told me that if I'm always putting negative thoughts out there, that's what I would get in return. However, if I turned those thoughts into positive ones, then positive things are going to come back to me.

I just needed to realize how blessed I was to even be in this situation. This is what I've wanted since my Little League days, you know? Just an opportunity to play and compete at the Division I level.

And I made it.

I just hope that anyone else out there struggling realizes you're never alone. There are people out there that love and care about you. You don't realize how many people you have in your corner until you start seeking help. It changed my life for the better.

My brother once told me a seed was being planted in me that would sprout someday. He said God was preparing me for life down the road with everything I was going through.

I never forgot that.

I choose to water that seed every single day through positivity and being thankful for all of the great things I have going for me.

I can't wait to see what it grows into.