As a benchwarmer on his high schools junior varsity team, Long Beach State’s Garrett Hampson contemplated whether or not he wanted to continue playing baseball.
But a love for the game he grew up playing and a coach who took him under his wing helped Hampson realize his dream of playing professionally.
His dedication and passion for America’s pastime earned him a chance to play for America; on the USA Collegiate National Team.
“I was really honored and humbled to be even in consideration for team USA,” Hampson said. “It was really cool to be considered one of the better players in college baseball and to be able to represent my country with USA across my chest and play the game I love.”
Hampson is the 11th Dirtbag to play for the collegiate national team and the first since 2007. He said that being a part of the national team has taught him to work harder in his game every single day to be able to compete at the highest level.
As a part of the national team playing with the best players in college baseball, Hampson gained the realization that he has what it takes to make this a career, something he didn’t have as a high school student.
“My freshman year I didn’t make varsity [baseball] because I had a shoulder injury,” Hampson said. “I wasn’t getting any playing time on my [junior varsity] team. I kind of started to think about pursuing basketball over baseball at that time. I’m glad I didn’t do that.”
This summer playing for Team USA, Hampson has started in eight of the team’s ten games was tied for fourth on the team with four runs scored. He helped the national team take the series victory over Cuba raising his batting average with the team to .296.
In just two years at LBSU, the Dirtbags shortstop has started all 114 games and earned the Big West Freshman Field Athlete Player of the Year in 2014 and was on the All-Big West second team this past season.
Long Beach State head coach Troy Buckley credits Hampson’s parents for the kind of person and athlete he is today. Although Hampson isn’t an overwhelmingly big player, he uses that to his advantage with his speed running the bases and his lateral quickness on defense.
“[Garrett] is one of those exemplary kids that you search for, for your program,” Buckley said. “He’s a guy that you have to see play every day to really appreciate the type of player that he is. His instincts are at a very high level and those are difficult things to quantify.”
This past season, Hampson batted at a .296 average and led the Dirtbags with 38 runs scored 64 hits with 17 runs batted in. He also led the team in stolen bases by swiping 18 bags on 22 attempts and totaled 79 total bases from hits.
“I am not worried about Garrett Hampson one bit,” Buckley said. “I’m not worried about him falling off the path because success doesn’t come to him quickly. He’s going to be a pretty high draft pick and is going to play for a long time.”
Buckley said that the baseball industry will have different things to say about Hampson’s size and abilities on the field when it comes to him playing at the next level, but that he will only get better with more experience.
Being able to compete at the highest level of collegiate baseball is a “fantastic honor” Buckley said. In six years time, he said that most of the players from the national team will be playing in the majors.
Going into his junior year with the Dirtbags, Hampson will take with him all of the experience and lessons he learned over the summer to help his home team. He said that no matter what happens, you have to keep playing the game.
“My greatest achievement has been this summer, playing for my country,” Hampson said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’ll never forget the experience I had this summer.”