There are many new faces around Drew University’s campus this year, and not all of these faces belong to the new class of first-years.
Drew has around 300 transfer students enrolled for the 2022-2023 academic year, with a significant number of transfers this year also being student-athletes. In particular, the baseball team and men’s lacrosse team both have a large number of transfers on their squads who all arrived this season.
Seven out of the 38 players on the baseball team are transfers who arrived for the 2023 season, coming from a mixture of other universities, community colleges and collegiate baseball teams.
Choosing to transfer schools is not an easy process, and being part of a sports team can only make the decision more complicated because it can be difficult to leave relationships formed between prior teammates.
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To highlight what it is like to not only become a new student at a new school halfway through one’s college career but also having to switch to an unfamiliar team, baseball player William Coleman (‘24) discussed his experience transferring to Drew at the start of the Fall 2022 semester.
Coleman attended Alvernia University in Reading, Pa. for three years before deciding to transfer schools. When looking at schools, Coleman, a biology major, said academic programs were the first priority, and added a new major, environmental science when he transferred to Drew.
He went on to say that athletics were also a major factor in his decision to transfer to Drew. “Coach Eberly [Drew’s head baseball coach] seemed like a good coach and had a good history,” Coleman said.
Speaking about the athletics themselves and his individual performance so far, Coleman felt that Drew’s baseball program was stronger “Just from practicing, the practices are much more organized, the atmosphere is much better and coaches are better one-on-one,” Coleman said.
One of the hardest things about joining a sports program as a new team member at any stage is adjusting to the program and integrating into the team culture and atmosphere.
Coming from an entirely different college team can make this an even stranger experience; every team is different and leaving the team that shaped an athlete’s experience with college sports makes the adjustment that much more daunting.
When asked about what it was like joining so late in his athletic career, Coleman said “It was definitely weird. You’re used to playing with the same guys, [but] the team was very welcoming, and it was easy to get to know everyone.”
Coleman has been a welcome addition to the Rangers, aiding the team in achieving a 9-2 record so far. The baseball team plays next on Friday, March 17 at 3 p.m.
Charlotte is a junior majoring in French and English with a writing communications emphasis.
