For Miles Sanchez and Danielle Scibuola, the baseball-softball
couple of a year and a half took the usual route to landing
athletic scholarships at Dickinson State University in North
Dakota, although with an added twist.
HOLLISTER
Trying to land a roster spot on a college team isn’t easy. Looking to stand out and impress recruiters on a national scale takes years of hard work on and off the field, years of practice at a particular position, years of focus in a single sport.
Throw in a little bit of luck, and maybe, just maybe, a four-year college will come calling.
But for Miles Sanchez and Danielle Scibuola, the baseball-softball couple of a year and a half took the usual route to landing athletic scholarships at Dickinson State University in North Dakota, although with an added twist.
“It was lucky that it worked out the way it did,” said Scibuola, a 2007 graduate of San Benito High School.
The two signed letters of intent to the NAIA school on July 18, just 10 days after making an official visit. Though how they both ended up attending the private, liberal arts college is a different story than most.
“But it was a great fit for both of us,” Sanchez said.
After competing for the Rams at Gavilan College in 2008 and 2009, Scibuola enrolled at Bethany University in Santa Cruz last year. However, the former Haybaler had experienced wrist problems prior to her sophomore season at Gavilan, and was forced to redshirt last spring after she underwent surgery.
Seeking a change of scenery from Bethany, though, Scibuola had a straightforward plan to landing a roster spot entering next season at a different school.
The plan worked out rather well, too.
“Since Miles was in the process of being recruited, I told him I’d go with him and try to walk-on wherever he goes,” Scibuola said.
Sanchez, meanwhile, a pitcher who was coming off two seasons at Gavilan College, was looking at Dickinson State as well as Texas Southern University in Houston and William Penn University in Iowa. But the North Dakota school managed to set itself apart by simply being the most steadfast in their recruiting efforts, as well as offering the most money.
Coupled with the fact that Dickinson head coach Duane Monlux was eyeing Sanchez to perhaps play multiple positions — the SBHS graduate of 2008 was still recruited as a pitcher, though — the choice was a relatively easy one for the former Baler.
“He said, with me coming in being an experienced pitcher, he’ll just throw me out there to see what I can do,” said Sanchez, who was an all-league selection out of high school and who recorded 24 starts and logged more than 140 innings for Gavilan the last two seasons. “This will help me get better and help me reach my goal of getting to ‘The Show.’
“He’s gonna give me the opportunity to bat, too. That’s a good, positive thing.”
While discussing the upcoming baseball season with his new head coach, though, Sanchez was also discussing the softball exploits of Scibuola. A utility player at Gavilan who played mostly in the outfield, Scibuola was nominated All-American her sophomore season as a Ram.
“I told him she has great stats,” Sanchez said of Scibuola, a slap hitter who also played middle infield at Gavilan. “But I didn’t tell Danielle I was doing it.”
The recruiting process took on a life of its own from there, however, and Scibuola was no longer in the position of walking on at Dickinson; the school later offered a partial scholarship to the Hollister outfielder.
“The coach needed a slap hitter and it worked out,” said Scibuola, noting that Dickinson head coach Kristen Fleury is a San Jose native who previously attended West Valley College in Saratoga. “I was planning on walking on wherever he went, but I’m just glad we both have scholarships now.”
Added Sanchez, who will join a Dickinson team that went 30-19 overall last season, 13-7 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. “Just the fact that we’re getting a chance to play, we’ve been trying to get to that next level ever since high school and this was our chance.”
“We had to jump on it,” said Scibuola, who will join a softball squad that went 34-13 last year, 21-3 in the DAC. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
