Player Profile: Calvin Marley

With a  6’4” frame, and natural athletic abilities, it isn’t surprising that Calvin Marley grew up playing and competing in baseball, football, basketball, and track and field. Now, you may think that he was just another kid spreading himself too thin, with no real interest in becoming a serious student athlete, however, this guy is the real deal.  

It was the beginning of the summer prior to his junior year at Fossil Ridge, and he had been invited to participate in Area Code, a very prestigious baseball event in Arizona. It was 117 degrees when Marley arrived, and he had no idea what to expect, as it was his first time at that particular event. Marley stated in an interview, “When I showed up, there were around 200 college and professional scouts ready to watch. Every big college was there, and a scout from every MLB team was there. I waited four hours before I even put on my cleats, and when I went out there I had the best outing of my life. The Washington Nationals scout told me that I was throwing 92 mph, and I had struck out three of the four guys I faced.” Needless to say, he easily caught the attention of many of the scouts that day. He had twenty division I scouts reaching out to him over the next year, including Duke, Clemson University, Oregon State, Wichita State, Florida State, and Texas A&M, along with four scouts from the following MLB (Major League Baseball) teams: San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Chicago Cubs. It was after that day that he knew his future was in baseball; the question he then had to face was does he go play for an MLB team or does he play in college?

Oddly enough as a freshman, despite the multiple baseball offers Marley later received, as mentioned above, he was put on Fossil Ridge’s c team. The coaches who have since left the program, told him that he simply didn’t know what he was doing out on the field, because he hadn’t yet experienced high school baseball. Marley stated that he was actually going to quit baseball, so that he could focus on football, the reason being that those coaches made him feel as though he wasn’t good enough. Marley said that if he could give younger students any advice it would be to “take advantage of the opportunities that you have, and don’t feel like you need more training or a private trainer to be good. Just be yourself, work hard, and enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing. The results will follow.”

With a career as successful as Marley’s had been, it was only natural that he was going to encounter a little adversity at some point, and shortly after receiving handfuls of baseball offers, he most certainly experienced a setback. “I separated my A/C join in my shoulder by playing football. It was a huge setback for me, and because of it, I couldn’t play basketball that year, I was restricted in the baseball season, and I also didn’t play football the next year. But even in that hard time, I was very lucky to have the huge support system that I do; my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, coaches, and friends all come to my games and show me their support. It means so much to me to have that.” His family has volunteered a great deal of their time, and has invested so much for Marley to be able to participate on all of the teams he is on and events that he goes to. He stated that he is a very fortunate to have all of the opportunities that he does.

Although those around him have played huge roles in his life, he took control of his journey. Marley spent months meeting with his coach, Chris Knabenshue, in the gym before school started last summer. They would train three days a week last semester as well, and Marley commented, “Knowing that I had someone in my life that was willing to help me better myself, regardless of the time or day, was really special to me.”

On top of all of the time that Marley spends in the gym or on the court or field, his life doesn’t only revolve around sports. He has many other passions, one being graphic design. He is enrolled in AP Studio Art, an advanced art class at Fossil Ridge, and creates lifelike projects and artwork digitally. He plans to major in graphic design and minor in sports management in college or vice versa. Marley also played the Viola for four years as a young boy, which is something not many know about him, and can still play today but doesn’t practice on a regular basis by any means. He has an older brother, Logan (20), who is studying to be a chemical engineer at South Dakota School of Mines, and a younger sister, Skyler (16), who attends Colorado Early Colleges. His father, Chad, is the Chief Technology Officer at Laramie County Community College, and his mother, Jenifer, is a project manager at Colorado State University.

It’s important that high school students are encouraged and believed in, and student athletes need just as much, or more, support than regular students. In an interview Marley talked about how much his family members meant to him, and how thankful he is to have such a loving, supportive group of people behind him. He commented, “My family is a really important part of my life. They have always been supportive and flexible with my often busy schedule, and they are the reason why I get to chase my baseball dreams; I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without all of their support.”

Another reason why it is crucial to have a strong, supportive group of people around you during your high school years, is because the transition from middle school to high school is challenging to say the least. Marley had quite a bit to say about his transition into Fossil Ridge and just how difficult it was. “Being a multi-sport athlete was never a challenge until high school. As a freshman, I learned first hand that it was not going to be easy. I played football everyday, all summer, and then had baseball tournaments on the weekends. Sometimes I would have a four hour football practice, and then drive straight to a two and a half hour baseball practice.” Of course not every student athlete has a schedule as rigorous as Marley’s, but the amount of time and hard work he needed to put in, in order to get to where he is now, were things he was more than willing to commit to. The past three years have been difficult for him because once his football season would end, basketball tryouts would start, and once the basketball season would end, the baseball season would start that same week. He was always having to transition between different sports and different teams. “It reminds me of moving houses. You get all settled in, you get used to the people and the environment, and then you have to restart, with new coaches and new teammates, in a completely different environment.” And as if that wasn’t enough, he works to keep his grades up, because doing well in the classroom has always been just as much of a priority as performing well on the field. “My brother, sister, and I are all expected to earn good grades at our house. We all understand that and the importance of doing well in the classroom.”

However, no matter how stressful he got, or how overwhelmed he felt, he stated that playing for Fossil Ridge has been very beneficial for him as an athlete. By the time that Marley graduates, he will have played on eleven different Fossil teams, and had unique experiences with each of them. “I was lucky to have coaches that supported me playing more than one sport. All three sports I played have year round training in the off season, which I can’t participate in usually, but my coaches have all understood that and helped me find ways to accommodate my schedule.” As the majority of students do, he said that he will miss the relationships that he has made with the coaches and other players, and having the opportunity to represent his school. “My favorite memory was my very first football game, against Boulder as a freshman. It was my very first game on my very first Fossil Ridge team, and I was starting on varsity as a freshman which was huge. I will never forget warming up that day, starting, and making my first catch that night; really just the whole night in general.” Marley mentioned that it was that night when he realized how much he loved sports, and wanted to play at the highest level possible. “If a high school game could make me feel that way, I will do anything to find out what a major league game feels like.”

But all good things must come to an end, and the end of Marley’s high school career is approaching quickly. Having played on a varsity team each year at Fossil Ridge, he has witnessed the emotional experience that the seniors endure on the night of their last home game. “Every year, I think that I have plenty of time before that will be me, but it sneaks up on you. Before you know it you become that person, and it sinks in more and more everyday, that soon I will never be able to play in a high school game again. So everyday, I enjoy practicing and playing with my friends who I have been playing with for four years. This season, with basketball, it has been everything I could’ve asked for, we are winning and having fun while doing it. I am so glad that this is the team that I get to experience my last high school basketball season with.” Marley also stated that he couldn’t be more excited for baseball season to start, and that that will be a very bittersweet time for him. “Not very many people get to go off and play division one baseball, and I feel like I have an opportunity to leave a legacy. I want to help and be a part of a team that begins a new standard for Fossil Ridge baseball.”

People say that the end of one thing is often the beginning of another, and that is very true for Marley. He always knew that he wanted to play college sports, but was struggling early during his recruitment process due to the fact that he wasn’t sure as to what sport he would be playing. As mentioned earlier, he was a starting player on the varsity football team as a freshman, at wide receiver, and truly believed that he was going to play college football; however, after getting only a few small offers from schools his sophomore year, he wasn’t thrilled with what was on the table, and decided to drop football and pursue baseball. On his first college visit, he was sold. “I visited Wichita State first, and I made my mind up within the first hour of being there that that was the place for me. I was the first of eighteen commits for the 2018 recruiting class when I committed in 2016.” Marley stated that he is still just as excited to attend WSU as he was when he first committed, and will be playing outfield as well as pitcher for the Shockers.

Calvin, we wish you the best of luck as you begin the next chapter of your life this year at Wichita State University, and in your last few months as a SaberCat! Make sure you follow @frhssportsnews for updates on Calvin and the boys basketball team, as well as all-other Fossil Ridge athletics!