Freshman Beck Raymond. You may find him in the main hallways, usually wearing shorts and vans. You’ll see him at the Freshman-A team basketball games. You could see him play as a left hand pitcher or first baseman with the Lonestars. Without a doubt, you will find Beck practicing for either sport.

Where we see Beck in the near future is different: Houston. Raymond has been playing baseball for nine years. His serious take on baseball started with his team, the Lonestars. Although he has been involved with the Lonestars for a while, his plans are subject to change.

Invited to a camp involving many prospective players to come to visit the campus, get to know the coaches, the current students, and the baseball program. Raymond receives an offer from the University of Houston to further his academic and baseball career.

“I’m a part of a great travel team, Lonestar Baseball whom I was playing with this fall when the UH coaches had seen me pitch. The UH staff reached out and later invited me to an Individual camp on campus where I played with older UH commits and other invitees. The camp involved many prospective players to come to visit the campus, get to know the coaches, the current students, and the baseball program,” Raymond explained.

Gallery • 2 Photos

"It's been my plan and dream for a long time. It's incredibly exciting," Raymond said.

Expecting nothing more but reinforcing connections and experience, Beck finds himself with much more.

“My expectations there were to reinforce their interest in me and build connections. I met the coaching staff, support staff, and a number of other players. I did well there. They reached out shortly after the program and offered me a scholarship to play baseball as a Cougar. It’s been my dream for a long time. It’s incredibly exciting. I still have a lot of work in front of me. I feel extremely blessed, to say the least. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I’ve had amazing people to guide me. Certainly, my parents and my coaches. Not to mention teammates, Nico Ruedas, Zach Spradling and Ethan Garcia, who are always there for me,” Raymond said.

He mentions remaining humble and working hard are both important in becoming an athlete. He plans on trying out for the Rebel baseball team over the weekend, and is very excited about what is to come.

“My philosophy behind sports and life, in general, is to be willing to work as hard as you have to, and the rest will take care of itself,” Raymond said. “In order to be an athlete, my advice would be to find knowledgeable coaches and talented players. They are the ones who will be able to challenge and push you to be better.”