Even in hindsight, Wells Davis maintains his perspective.
Davis knows now, and knew at the time, the uphill battle a freshman faces to earn playing time in a South Alabama baseball program with eight NCAA tournament appearances in the last 16 years.
All of that withstanding, Davis expected to get more than four at-bats as a freshman.
But Davis re-examined his situation and discovered his body had changed in ways that were negatively impacting his craft.
“I had to make a change,” Davis said. “(South Alabama coach Mark Calvi) called me in one day and said when he recruited me I was 185-195 (pounds) and hitting balls out of the park, hitting doubles. I got in at 235 and actually had less power.”
That’s when Wells began taking nutrition and the weight room seriously. Now, a year older and 40 pounds lighter, Wells went from four at-bats in his first season to being South Alabama’s No. 4 hitter on some days. He has hit .350 and slugged .525 while driving in 11 runs in starting all 12 of South Alabama’s games.
Davis, a former standout at New Hope High School in Columbus, will get to show off his new lean physique this weekend when South Alabama visits Starkville to play two games against Mississippi State and two against Columbia at Dudy Noble Field.
“In the spring (last year), he really got serious about the weights and taking care of himself, and in a little less than a year he’s really transformed himself,” Calvi said. “He looks good. He looks fit. He looks strong. He used to be the big, burly kid. Now he’s the big, in-shape kid.”
Davis said he shed the first half of the 40 pounds in the spring of his freshman season. The daily practices and workouts gave him the physical activity, but all parties involved credit his changes in nutrition.
Even with spring playing time out of the question — Calvi noted Davis was behind a senior, Danny Martinez — Davis remained dedicated to his wellness program because he knew it would help him as a sophomore.
“I couldn’t just shut down and give up on it,” he said. “I realized that if I continued to work I was going to have a good summer ball opportunity and I could get myself ready to be a significant factor in the lineup as a sophomore.”
That opportunity came with the Calrinda A’s in the MINK League (Iowa) and Davis delivered. He hit .263 and flashed the power that was one of the objectives behind the transformation of his, as 17 of his 47 hits went for extra-bases.
Davis then returned to Mobile, Alabama, in the fall to add muscle to his new mobility and trim body.
“I would eat right, work out two times a day, run,” Davis said. “Whatever I had the energy for I would do it.”
Davis made a happy discovery in the weight room. As he put it, he said he had more weight to lose. In the fall, Davis lost 18 more pounds, bringing him close to the weight he played at in high school. In terms of physique, Davis had more or less reached the weight he is currently playing at, but he was still missing something.
“He had a really bad fall offensively, and I know he was super down after the fall,” Calvi said. “We talked about dropping his hands a little lower in his set-up, getting in the plane earlier. He went home and worked on it and he’s been on a roll ever since.”
When Calvi sent Davis home to Columbus to work on those swing changes, that’s when New Hope High coach Lee Boyd saw what his former standout had become. Boyd used words like “chiseled” and “defined” to describe what he saw in Davis as he hit in the cage at New Hope.
The cage time paid off.
“You could see it was different. His (batting practice) was different, the way the bat was coming off the ball was different,” Calvi said. “He’s pretty dangerous. His holes aren’t as big as they used to be. You have to work to get him out.”
Davis comes to Starkville ninth in the Sun Belt Conference in on-base percentage and tied for 10th in RBIs.
“You can lead the horse to the water, you know the saying, but the player has to be bought in,” Calvi said. “Wells was really bought in to changing his body, changing his level of fitness and you’re seeing the result.”
n NOTES: MSU left-hander Kale Breaux had Tommy John surgery Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season. Breaux made his only appearance Feb. 24 against Indiana State. … MSU could be without relief pitchers Blake Smith and Ryan Rigby this weekend. MSU coach Andy Cannizaro said Rigby (groin) was going to see a doctor Thursday to get more information on his injury. Smith (elbow) won’t pitch. … Cannizaro announced Thursday that two of the four spots in the starting rotation have yet to be determined. Konnor Pilkington will start tonight against South Alabama and Peyton Plumlee will start Saturday against the Jaguars. The starters for the games against Columbia — at 1 p.m. Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday — haven’t been determined.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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