Hayden Burns, from Washington, Missouri, is currently in his first semester at Missouri State - Mid Plains in West Plains, MO. He joins Carter Mize in this episode of the Rawlings Tigers Alumni Spotlight.

Burns is part of a brand-new program at Missouri State - Mid Plains. The junior college program is making its debut this year. He aims to make an impact in his inaugural season and establish a strong cultural foundation on this blank canvas.

“We have team breakfast every day before classes, followed by hitting groups and practice right after,” Burns explains. “Our coaches want us to set a standard of hard work and dedication to the program.”

Unlike NCAA schools, the NJCAA has no practice time regulations, allowing junior college programs to schedule additional practice hours. This leads to enhanced development for players.

“I’ve already noticed significant improvement in both my defensive and offensive skills since arriving here. The amount of work I’m putting in on a daily basis is night and day compared to a high school baseball schedule.”

Burns found his way to Missouri State - Mid Plains through camps and email outreach. As a two-sport athlete at Washington High School, his recruiting journey was slightly different from that of most high school baseball players.

“I had a few college visits for football, but my passion is baseball. If I had to choose one or the other, I knew I wanted to play baseball in college. I reached out to Mid Plains via email, sending them my game film from the Tigers summer baseball season, which really caught the coaches' attention.”

He credits his Tigers summer schedule for helping him prepare for college baseball.

“My Tigers teams always faced opponents who were either equal to or better than us. That pushed me as a player, and I think I grew a lot from that challenging schedule.”

From the entire Tiger community, we wish Hayden the best of luck as he embarks on his first spring collegiate season at Missouri State - Mid Plains. We’re excited to share his story with the next generation of Tigers players.

#Train #Educate #GrowTheGame

By: Carter Mize
Rawlings Tigers National Director - Player Development
[email protected]
@mize_carter on X