It's 5 a.m., and A.J. McCauley rolls out of bed. He laces up his shoes and steps outside for his first workout. Depending on the day, he'll run sprints or a few miles on the road, or spend time in the weight room. For the 2000 Plum High School graduate, it has become habitual after training with professional boxers while wrestling and playing baseball in high school.
Now a sophomore studying business at Guilford College in North Carolina, McCauley's hard work is paying dividends.
He was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) baseball Player of the Week in mid-March, marking his and the team's first honor of the 2002 season. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound McCauley led the Quakers to a 5-0 week by hitting .565 in five games and set a career high for hits in a game, going 4 for 4 in Guilford's win over league-rival Eastern Mennonite on March 10.
The honor signifies a complete turnaround from where McCauley was last season at this time, when he was sidelined for the first 10 games with compartment syndrome, an injury to his left calf muscle.
Determination has helped McCauley regain his baseball form and earned him respect from the coaching staff.
"His work ethic is, simply, amazing," said Guilford baseball coach Gene Baker. "He never misses a voluntary practice, never misses a mandatory practice or a game, and on top of that, he works out a lot on his own."
The intense training is nothing new to McCauley, however, growing up around athletes. His father, Al McCauley, is "The Pittsburgh Kid," Paul Spadafora's head manager. A.J. credits much of his success to training with professional boxers.
"Over Christmas break, sometimes over the summer, and whenever I get the chance, I will run and do whatever I can with the boxers," McCauley said. "Hitting the heavy bag and training with them has really improved my conditioning level."
Primarily used as a leadoff hitter, McCauley is batting .362 with 24 runs scored, 19 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts in helping Guilford to an 18-10 record, 7-3 in the ODAC. Individual statistics aren't of much concern to him, though.
"I really try to stay away from setting many individual goals," McCauley said. "I could hit the ball great and it won't mean anything. Our team is what I am focused on, and the team wants to win the Old Dominion Conference."
The team attitude has also benefitted the Guilford baseball team this season, currently sitting atop the ODAC conference, and a big difference from its 2001 campaign.
McCauley referred to last year's season as the worst for a team he's played on in his recent memory. Guilford was out of playoff contention by mid-season, and McCauley claimed it was tough playing from then on without anything to look forward to.
"This year, everybody's spirits are high, going to practices and games are fun and the overall attitude is just great," McCauley said. "Everybody came in with the right attitude this year, and everything is coming together. The big difference is performance and winning the close games; we are winning the close ones this season."
The clock now reads 6 a.m., and the majority of Guilford's campus, along with much of the East Coast, remains asleep.
A.J. McCauley has completed his first of two or three workouts for the day before heading off to class for the day. Not bad for a college student who said, "I'm not really a morning person.
"But the workouts have really helped me out a lot."
They've also helped him secure a starting position for the remainder of his Guilford baseball team tenure and inspired Baker to offer an unusual request.
"Do me a favor, and corral up all of the A.J. McCauley's you have in Pittsburgh," Baker said. "Then, send them all down to me at Guilford because I definitely want them on my team."
