Finding a Way to Keep a Career Alive

 Finding a Way to Keep a Career Alive

By: Harris Eisenberg

To say Davis Shoener is a baseball lifer would be an understatement. He started playing baseball at age four in his hometown of Nashville, T.N. Shoener grew up in Nashville before moving to Greensboro, N.C. at the start of high school, where his baseball skills were getting noticed. One school in particular that was interested was High Point University. Shoener had plans to play for the Panthers coming in as a freshman. But then a major injury to his UCL ligament in his elbow, which required reconstructive surgery, prevented him from completing his goal of playing Division I baseball. 

But Shoener wasn’t going to let an injury end his baseball career. He would end up joining the club team at High Point University where his career took off, quickly finding himself as a mainstay in the lead-off spot and playing center field. He would battle more injuries and adversity in his time at HPU, but his warrior-like style of play and mindset didn’t allow him to back down. Now in his fifth season with the club team, Shoener is trying to lead High Point to a national championship. Currently having the best season of his career hitting .474 out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, the team’s center fielder has overcome all the odds and has cemented his legacy with the group not only for his terrific play but his leadership as well.

Describe to me what the recruitment process was like and how did you come upon High Point?

I attended a showcase camp at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill my junior year with some guys from my summer team that year. After the second day was over, I was stopped by one of High Point University’s coaches, coach Laws. He liked my speed and invited me to High Point’s camp later that summer. After that point, I stayed in contact with coach Laws for the next year and a half. In the spring of my senior year, he told me he couldn’t give a scholarship, but I could try walking on. I knew a walk-on spot wasn’t a guarantee, but I also knew that I wanted to go to HPU because of the excellent Exercise Science program. I decided to take the risk and try to earn my way onto the team.

You had a major elbow injury which required reconstruction of your UCL ligament. It eventually prevented you from playing Division I. How tough was that on you knowing that an injury prevented your goal?

It was definitely a tough pill to swallow. The timing of the injury was very unfortunate coming right at the end of the season my senior year. It hurt realizing that I could not fulfill the goal that I set for myself seven or eight years prior; all of the training and playing I did would not be enough to be successful. 

Did you ever think at one point your playing days were over after the injury?

At one point I did. After the injury, I had not given up on my goal just yet. Over the summer, I tried every non-operative recovery method possible to try and get my arm healthy. Once August rolled around though, none of the methods worked, and I still couldn’t throw. I remember the day before the team’s first conditioning exam, I thought it was the end of my career. I tried everything I could to be ready for the tryouts, but none of it worked. 

Tell me about your thought process of coming to High Point and joining the club team there. How important to you was it to keep playing?

Initially, I had no idea that HPU had a club baseball team. I talked to coach Laws about my situation, and he directed me to coach Cozart. He told me that I could recover and play with the club baseball team for a year and then come back and try out again. This gave me a glimpse at my goal once again, so I took that offer. I had surgery in November my freshman year and then came back and played club baseball my sophomore year. While the journey to being healthy again was long, I was happy to be playing again. I built strong bonds with the players and coaches on the club baseball team, and I realized that I wanted to continue playing with them. 

You suffered another injury mid way through your junior year. This time it was your shoulder which required surgery. How tough was it to have another injury setback?

It was tough coming to terms with the idea of having another major injury again. I had been putting my injury off for a couple months and was also dealing with events in my personal life. After I realized none of my issues were going to be solved by being sad, I was determined to get back on the field by any means necessary. After going through my elbow surgery first, I understood what I needed to do to get back on the field. Once I came to terms with my situation, the setback wasn’t so bad.  

It was expected that you would be out the rest of the season but the surgery came at a time where the winter break gave you enough time to recover to still be in the lineup everyday as the DH. Did you try to speed up the recovery process to get back on the field?

I understood the only person that could speed up or slow down the recovery process was me. I had to take the initiative in doing my stretches and strength exercises everyday, regardless of what was going on. I set multiple time blocks in my schedule each day set aside for doing my shoulder routine. While it meant missing out on socializing or hanging with friends, it got my shoulder strong enough and mobile enough to hit. 

That year you would end up going to the playoffs and in the final elimination game you led off the game with a home run. After the road you had that year to get back to playing, what was that feeling like?

It has been, by far, one of the best moments in my life. Six months prior, I was on the verge of vomiting from anxiety when attempting to take my arm out of a sling. To go from that to hitting a leadoff home run in the regional championship was something I didn’t think was possible. My journey through fear, anxiety, anger, and depression throughout that school year had all led up to that point, and I have never been happier to see determination pay off.

COVID hits last year which at the time you were a senior. Did you think your career was over after not being able to complete your senior year?

Once I got word that the season was cut short last year, I was devastated; I thought my career was over. I spent the next two days in shock trying to understand what was happening. I expected my final season to finish either by winning a championship or going down giving everything I have - not being suspended because of a pandemic. 

You entered the master’s program to get your degree and play a fifth year. What is your end goal for this season on the field?

I have two goals for the end of this season. My first one is to give everything I have to help this team win a championship. My other goal is to leave behind a legacy knowing the rest of the players come back next year will continue giving everything they have for this team.

A lot of the younger guys look up to you as a leader. How much does it mean to you knowing that some of your teammates look to you for advice?

It means the world to me that teammates look up to me as a leader. One of my personal philosophies is helping others succeed. With my passion for baseball and this goal, when players come up to me for advice, I feel like I am fulfilling my life’s purpose and that brings a joy to me that is hard to put into words.

What does HPU club baseball mean to you? 

HPU club baseball is a family to me. Initially, I thought I was only going to spend a year playing with the team and then going back to the division one team, but the bonds that I’ve made with each person on this team have left an impact on my life. This team helped me realize that my life isn’t defined by results, but the effort and attitude you give.

After all the injuries and adversities you faced describe your playing days in one word or phrase?

One of my coaches from middle school and high school taught me and lived by a phrase that summarizes my journey well:  “There are things in life that are out of your control. What happens does not matter; how you react to what happens matters.”