Shane Hill, senior exercise science major, has played baseball ever since he was a little kid. He first began to play baseball when he was 4 years old, after his dad bought him a plastic bat and plastic ball from the local pharmacy. He said that he has been hooked ever since.
Growing up, Hill played in many different youth baseball leagues including Little League, Pony league and Khoury League. Throughout that time, Hill lived in Miami, but he has played for teams in Tamiami, Miami Springs and Pembroke Lakes.
After his little league days were over, he played for his high school, Florida Christian School, and several summer travel teams, including the Florida Bombers. As his high school’s team caption his senior year, Hill went 11-2 with a 0.97 ERA, earning him spots on the First Team All-Dade County and Third Team All-State.
At the end of his senior year, Hill was the 242nd pick in the eighth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The right handed pitcher played for three seasons with the Brewers’ rookie team based out of Phoenix, Arizona. After the 2008 season, Hill and the Brewers parted ways, which he said allowed him to be “a normal kid.” He next attended the University of Central Florida for two years.
Last year, he decided to return to the sport, after finding out that he’d be allowed to play collegiate baseball — as long as it was for a Division II school. He transferred to NSU for the 2012 season, where he appeared in six games, started in three and had an ERA of 4.00.
I sat down with Hill and asked him a few questions:
What is the best memory of your career?
My best memory was probably winning the state championship in 2005 with my high school, Florida Christian, and also getting drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth round of the 2006 draft.
What is the best accomplishment in your career?
I played professional baseball already, so signing that professional contract would be my biggest accomplishment so far in my career.
Why did you decide to come to NSU?
I’m from the area and I always heard that Nova was a good school and I had friends that played for the team. It just worked; it was a good fit. It was either here or Barry [University] and I’m glad that I picked here over Barry.
What do you like the most about Head Coach Greg Brown?
I just think that he’s a very intense coach and he just respects the game of baseball the way it should be respected. He expects 150 percent out of you every single day, whether you have your best stuff or your worst stuff. His biggest thing is just to go out there and compete. I think that’s something that is very valuable in a head coach.
What are you looking forward to the most for the remainder of the season?
I’m looking forward to winning the conference championship. Last year we got pretty close to going to Cary, North Carolina for the World Series. That’s in our plans this year, to take that next step and go compete in the World Series.
What do you think about instant replay in the MLB?
I think the homerun replay is perfectly fine. But once you start getting into instant replay balls and strikes or even a play at the plate, I feel like you’re just messing with the game itself. If they do miss a play, they have an opportunity to go and talk to the other umpires on the field.
If you had one superpower, what would it be?
To fly. I just feel like being able to fly is just like freedom. Birds are just the freest animals, they can just do whatever they want and fly all around the world.
If you were to describe yourself as an animal, what would you be?
I would say a bald eagle because they’re free-spirited and American.
If there was a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
Paul Rudd. That guy is the man; he’s my favorite actor. I feel like we have the same sense of humor.
