DJ Dickson might be a baseball player, but he’s also a hunter.
Dickson is a senior outfielder at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, and the William Tennent High School graduate has had to work extremely hard at succeeding at the next level.
A speedy outfielder with some pop, Dickson had all the tools to make himself a good baseball player, but he knew he needed to get an edge when playing against some of the top players in the country.
So be real quiet, he’s hunting fastballs.
“One of the big things I worked on was something I worked on in high school, I knew I had to get my pitch and I didn’t get a lot of pitches in some games because we had good players but we weren’t consistent all the time,” Dickson said. “We were in a very good division with the Central Buckses and the Council Rocks. We did better when we played schools that were our size.
“It made it hard, I didn’t get a lot of pitches to hit, but it definitely helped me. I had to be more disciplined. In high school, I had to wait for my pitch. I think it formed my game. Be patient. It formed me as a hitter. I try to hit any pitch in the zone hard. I want my pitch. I like fastballs, I like good pitches early in the count. Just hunt fastballs.”
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
Dickson has enjoyed quite a career at Virginia’s College at Wise. Over three years, Dickson is hitting .353 in 121 games, including 115 starts. He has 87 runs, 141 hits, 37 doubles, six home runs and 66 RBIs. And that discipline at the plate has helped him draw 87 walks, including 41 last year. Overall, he has an on-base percentage of .471.
While it took some time to get used to the college baseball level, Dickson figured things out pretty quickly and has been starring since his freshman year.
“Spring of freshman year of college, I started feeling more comfortable,” he said. “My first couple starts, I tried to do way too much. I second guessed my approach. The pitching was such a big adjustment, even in the fall of freshman year, it was a very big difference. I wasn’t used to it. I started seeing it and got used to it and understood I need to be myself as a hitter. Once I started doing that, I worked hard, was locked in to my at-bats and saw success finally.”
The improvement has just continued.
He hopes to roll that into a strong final season.
“We just finished fall ball, a two-month fall period of practice and scrimmages,” Dickson said. “Earlier on I was battling back from an injury and getting adjusted. Throughout the fall, I started hitting a lot better and feel very good going into the spring season.
“Hit well in the end of the fall and put everything I know into what I want to do. It’s setting me up for my senior year.”
While baseball is his passion, he’s doing just as well in the classroom, where he is studying business.administration.
“I wanted computer science but wanted to focus on data analysis,” Dickson said. “Our school is working on getting it, but now business has it, that’s. I would love to be a data analyst.”
But there’s a chance he goes a different route.
And his baseball career is why he believes that’s a distinct possibility.
Dickson worked out extensively with his father Dave, who was a star athlete at Cardinal Dougherty.
The pair spent hours working together to help Dickson perfect his swing. They looked for tells on what the pitcher is throwing, they broke down film, and did whatever they could to give him an advantage when he stepped to the plate.
They not only learned a lot that helped him, they learned a lot that could help anyone. And he hopes that some day, he can do just that, whether it’s coaching or as a trainer.
“I’d love to start a facility of my own, a baseball facility and help develop players,” Dickson said. “My dad has helped formulate my entire approach. We talk all the time, I walk him through what I’m thinking and he helps me work through it. Understanding my approach. It was hard at first, when I was younger, because I was hardheaded. Growing up you get more mature, you need to be more open minded. He understands me as a hitter and he’s helped me. I think we can help others.”
After all, he knows it works.
“I would love to finish strong, have a strong senior year,” Dickson said. “I want to win this year, I think we have a solid squad, I think our hitters are great, we have some arms that are going to help us. We are really close. We competed a lot, this year I think we’re close to winning a SAC championship.
“I’ll keep playing as long as I’m able to and have opportunities. Look into a couple leagues, look in the MLB Affiliate draft league. I’m talking to a few GMs but several other independent leagues. I’d love to finish strong and see what happens.”
