PARIS- Playing college sports is the dream of many student-athletes who play various sports throughout their childhood. And for the majority of those athletes, it unfortunately is just a dream. The odds of playing collegiate sports are not good for most of us. For the athletes of Paris High School, it has been an unusual year that saw four students from last Sunday’s graduating class who are moving on to play collegiately.
Paris High School is sending four of its graduates, Jayden Wells, Sam Muldrow, Brailey Forst, and Mason Bradley to various colleges to continue their dreams of playing college sports. And recently, I sat down with one of them, Mason Bradley, to visit with him about his next step of playing college baseball at Arkansas Tech University.
Bradley lettered in three sports at Paris: football, basketball, and baseball. In each of the three sports, Mason had a reputation of being highly competitive. He played hard on every down, every play, and for every minute. To paraphrase a comment he made in a recent interview, Mason alluded to maybe not being able to score, but he could play hard and play good defense. And that is exactly what he did in every sport he played.
So before he became involved in playing summer travel ball before reporting to college in August, Mason graciously consented to spending time with me to record an interview.
I have always admired Mason from a far; his positive attitude and the great effort he gave in school as both a student and an athlete have been characteristics of him that I have always admired and respected. And after our interview, his comments only reinforced the admiration I have for him, both as a person, and as a student-athlete.
As we began our interview, I asked Mason if playing college baseball has always been his dream as a child growing up. He responded by saying, “Actually, football was my dream starting out. When I was little, I didn’t want to play baseball in high school. And Michael Reed texted my mother one day and said, “Hey, we need some more players here”, and I said, yeah, I guess I’ll play. And it just started up from there. That was probably my third-grade year.”
And since that time, Mason’s involvement in sports grew to playing and lettering in three sports. “I had been playing just football and baseball for most of that time; I didn’t start playing basketball until my seventh-grade year.”
As a multi-sport athlete, there is always the danger of being injured and having it take away from what they feel is their primary sport. In Mason’s case, it was playing football at the risk of injury and having it hurt his chances to play college baseball. I asked him if that was a concern to him, and Mason said, “When I started playing travel ball (baseball) I thought I could do this (play baseball) in college. I really wanted to play baseball, so I quit football that year to concentrate on baseball my ninth-grade year. I came back to football my sophomore year.”
No one in Mason’s family has every played collegiate sports; Mason’s father, Jason, played baseball in high school. Mason’s mother, Shannon, also had not played in college. So, Mason is about to embark on an exciting phase of his life as a college athlete that is unique to both he and his family.
Mason’s family has always been very supportive of him and his desire to play sports. “They have spent a lot of money on me to play travel ball.”
Graduation was held at Paris High School approximately two weeks ago, and when I asked Mason how it felt to be out of high school, he laughed nervously and said, “It feels a little weird not having a set routine every day. I know I am going to miss it, especially the sports aspect of it. I am going to miss being around the players and coaches; they are like a baseball family over there (Paris High School). It’s going to be a little different (playing in college.)
Mason Bradley was the consummate team player, and he accepted every role he was asked to play, regardless of the sport. For example, last football season, Mason began the year playing both ways as a linebacker and as a running back. As the season progressed and the injuries mounted, Mason found himself being asked to move into the role of playing quarterback on the spur of the moment. And in true Mason Bradley style, he made the best of it…playing hard on every down and moving the team with his determination and effort. And against many of those teams, the offense had to be limited to the point that the defense knew that on virtually every down, Mason would be keeping the ball and moving to the left or right. And that limitation produced a lot of wear and tear on his body.
When I asked him about playing the “wildcat quarterback” role last season, Mason said, “There were some plays when I was just worn out. Especially when running to the sidelines; it was just wear and tear on my body. But it was fun, and I would not change it for anything. I got injured one time when someone stepped on my hand, and I thought it may have been broken. But other than that, I didn’t get hurt.”
The injury to his hand at Centerpoint during the football season was not his only injury scare.
Shortly after his signing ceremony that announced his commitment to play college baseball at Arkansas Tech, Mason suffered an arm injury while on the mound pitching for the Eagles at Hackett.
At that game, Mason was pitching a masterpiece and was in control of the game when suddenly he stopped after a pitch and appeared to have injured himself. I asked him about that day, and he shared, “Since that day, I am now throwing again at about 95% and it is feeling good. The doctor told me after the injury that I had strained my elbow; stress on the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament). That day in Hackett, I felt a pop in my arm; I felt two pops. I threw one pitch and it popped, and I thought that was a little weird. I threw another one, and that is when my arm just started hanging. I have since pitched my last day, but my arm will be ready to play other positions.”
That was a scary moment for Mason and everyone who followed him. Everyone knew of his commitment to play college baseball, and everyone who followed and cared about him were hoping and praying that this would not interfere with his college baseball opportunities.
Mason’s injury was one of several that hit the Eagles late in the season. In fact, part of the Eagles’ future in the regional tournament was shaped by the lack of pitching depth due to his injury and the later unavailability of Kort Tencleve due to an accident. It was a factor in the district tournament where Paris lost close late inning games to both Charleston and Booneville who would later go on have much success in the state tournament.
But the good news is that Mason is well on his way to recovery and his college baseball future has not been adversely affected by the injury.
Mason graduated from Paris High School with honors and a 3.75 grade point average, and as a member of the National Honor Society. He is the product of hard work, discipline, and having been raised by two loving parents who have supported him all the way. He is a deeply spiritual individual who possess great character and will be an asset to Arkansas Tech and its baseball program. “My mom pushed me. She said you are going to be both a good student and a good athlete. She insisted that I take the classroom seriously, so I worked really hard. Especially playing sports, it is hard to do that (make good grades) when you have to work year around in sports to not lose certain skills like shooting, etc., and in three different sports. So I played three sports year around, and now, I am playing travel baseball this summer.”
Mason will report to Arkansas Tech in August with the rest of his freshmen class and will start with the baseball program after he begins classes. A big moment in his life and in his family’s as well. And for an athlete who played high school sports in a small rural school, the opportunity to play collegiately is an even bigger accomplishment for any athlete.
And the forces of small-town life can be both an advantage and a challenge. I asked Mason if he ever felt that he was being pulled in an opposite direction from his goals and dreams, and he responded by saying, “I have always been strong minded to stay on one path, and that was to go to college and maybe even beyond. Peer pressure just wasn’t’ a thing for me.”
Mason chose Arkansas Tech over offers from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith (UAFS) and a couple of smaller colleges. Mason chose Tech because it was close to home, and his parents could be there to help him and to attend his games. “So, close to home was big for me, and their facilities.” Arkansas Tech is a NCCA Division II school, and Mason will have the opportunity to play college baseball at a very high level while staying close to home.
Family is important to Mason, as well as some key people who have influenced him. I asked him to share with me what his parents’ guidance, love, and support have meant to him now that he is on the doorstep of starting his dream as a college athlete. He said, “They are excited for me. My dad and I did a lot work. He always had that thought in his mind about me possibly being hurt playing football. But he knew I wasn’t going to get hurt too bad. He said I would be the dude doing all the hurting! My mom was pretty scared though; she said she closed her eyes on some hits. I could not have done this without them. I mean, just everything they have done for me. They have taken me across the country for baseball and all of the showcases. I just could not have done it without them. All the late nights getting in, and my mom worrying about me getting hurt…it was really great, and I wouldn’t have any other parents. I love them to death.”
There was a point when Mason did not think it was going to happen for him to have the opportunity to play college ball. “I thought so; my sophomore year I got hurt, and it made me start thinking that I may not get to play college. I hadn’t received any offers really until my junior year of high school, and I just didn’t think it was going to happen. I talked to my dad about it and he told me to just keep working and I took that to heart, and I didn’t get down on myself.”
And that is, in this writer’s opinion, part of what makes Mason’s story so special. His great effort and investment into his future and the unwillingness to give up his dreams. All of that with the unconditional support and advice of two loving parents all makes this so special and a great story to share with other young athletes and families who aspire to play college sports. And for that matter, in any endeavor of life, be it work, family life, or any aspect of growing into a successful adult. Mason’s story, combined with his family’s unconditional love and support, is truly special.
On behalf of RNN Sports, I would like to thank Mason Bradley for taking the time to sit down with us to provide this special interview and story for our readers. We wish him nothing but the best of success at Arkansas Tech and beyond, and we can’t wait to follow him and bring you his continued story as he begins the rest of his life as an adult. Congratulations to Mason’s parents, Jason and Shannon Bradley for raising a tremendous son and providing the opportunities that he now has.
We can’t wait to follow him at Arkansas Tech!
