Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Linden Carey

Photo: Delaware Technical Community College

Delaware Technical Community College student-athletes interviews are back! Every Thursday, Delaware Sports Blitz will feature interviews with the student-athletes from the Community College.

The student-athlete we are featuring this week comes from Delaware Tech’s baseball team, which is pitcher Linden Carey.

Carey talks about everything from making his way back from Tommy John surgery to what adjustments he had to make from high school baseball to college.

Check out it below!

Related: Delaware Sports Blitz Interview: Delaware Tech’s Sydney Tyndall

How did you start playing sports?
“I first started playing baseball with T-ball when I was five years old. I fell in love with the game from the get-go. A lot of people don’t know that I also played soccer from middle school through high school.”

What adjustments did you have to make from the jump of high school to college, regarding the sport you play?
“I am a pitcher, so for me, one of the biggest adjustments was the different baseball itself. In high school, the ball has tall seams, while in college and beyond a ball called a flat seam is used.”

How do you keep yourself in game shape in the off-season for your sport?
“I go to a gym 5-6 days a week with a day or two of full rest every week. Each day is assigned to a portion of my body making it easier to know what I need to work on and strengthen.”

What is the best part of playing your particular position?
“I think the best part about being a pitcher is that you just get to go at your own pace. Everyone on the field and in the stands is waiting for you to do something. You control the game.”

What has a former or current coach taught you, that you still use today on or off the playing field?
“On the playing field, I am one man on the field and only responsible for what goes on at my position. Off the field, it is helping and encouraging the other players to get better and being a team player.”

What is a typical day for you when the season is in full force?
“My day usually consists of waking up, eating breakfast, schoolwork, eating lunch, getting a workout in, having a third meal, practice, then dinner, then relaxing if possible, or more schoolwork.”

What do you feel is your greatest strength?
“The fact that I have an undying love for the sport makes me want to work harder.”

What do you feel you are weakest at and what do you work on to improve it?
“I feel I am weakest at scheduling and time management. To improve this, I try to get ready before it’s time to get ready.”

Describe some of the highlights of your athletic career.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to travel across the country for baseball, and I was invited to play with some of the best players in the country in Lakepoint, Ga.
Also:

• First Team Henlopen South Pitcher (junior and senior year of high school)
• Pre-season All-State Honorable Mention Pitcher”

What is the best part of playing on a team?
“The bond that you end up developing together.”

How do you stay motivated during the highs and lows of a season?
“You have to know why you are having a high or low part of the season. I try to know what the team and I are doing right and what we can perfect with practice or other ways.”

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced and how did you overcome it?
“I had Tommy John surgery in 2018. The commitment and desire it took to overcome is like nothing I’ve experienced before. My parents motivated me a lot to get through it, and get back on the field. I had knee surgery in 2016, so when I found out I needed Tommy John surgery I thought I was done playing baseball. But the desire to get back on the field and play that game I love, and be better than I was before motivated me a lot.”

In what ways, does playing a sport, help you with your studies?
“I think it gives me another example of where you can end up and what you can achieve with hard work. I’m a believer that hard work pays off and I think that can apply to your sports and studies.”

How would you like to be remembered by your teammates and coaches?
“I would like to be remembered as one of the hardest workers and most dedicated players on the team. Someone who cared about the team and not just himself. And someone who was very supportive of the team and the coaches.”

Why did you choose to play at Delaware Tech?
“Delaware Tech wasn’t the first place I decided to extend my academic and athletics career. But having Tommy John surgery brought me here. It’s actually worked out better than I could have ever imagined and has been a great success thus far.”

What was your experience like throughout 2020 and what does it mean for you to play competitive sports again?
“The beginning of 2020 was actually great. I was 3-0 in four starts on the mound with a great relief appearance out of the bullpen. I was cruising coming off of surgery. Then, before I knew it, the season was shut down and everything was closed. It was terrible and a little depressing, and something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. To be able to play again means the world to me. It tells me not to take something for granted, because it can be ripped right out of your hands.”