In The Dugout – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2003
Many players see college baseball as a way to extend their playing careers. Their point is to play as long as they possibly can and hope to make it to the big league some day.
For Cody Caughenbaugh, a redshirt freshman on the Ohio State baseball team, college is also about an opportunity for a quality education as well.
“I try to work hard in the classroom so I can get a good education while I’m here playing baseball,” Caughenbaugh said.
In the batter’s box, Caughenbaugh took a respectable .316 batting average with him to Jacobs Field Tuesday for a game against Cleveland State. Even more impressive is his 3.96 grade point average in the mechanical engineering program. In fact, Caughenbaugh was named the top freshman mechanical engineering student for his efforts in the classroom his first year in Columbus.
Caughenbaugh, who hails from Newark, Ohio, was drawn to mechanical engineering by a love for math and the ability to apply what he studies in college to a wide range of professional fields.
“I enjoy math and I wanted to do something in the math field,” Caughenbaugh said. “Math comes pretty easy to me. I like problem solving and I like things to be right or wrong. Mechanical engineering is pretty broad and I was told that a lot of my classes will overlap with other fields so if I wanted to change, I could switch over.”
Most of the students in the engineering department will agree that the major is very time consuming. At the same time, student-athletes have time constraints while trying to juggle sports and class. Caughenbaugh chugs along with both, always giving it his all and trying to perform at his potential.
“I do what is most important, most of my time is spent playing baseball and I have to make up the time in the classroom,” Caughenbaugh said. “It makes it hard, but thankfully the teachers and professors have been very helpful. I miss a few classes here and there when we are on road trips but the teachers normally let me turn the work in early or late.” In Caughenbaugh’s first year of eligibility, he has been a constant contributor in the outfield playing approximately two out of every three games. With three years remaining, Caughenbaugh has the goal of improving his baseball play and exiting Ohio State with all the skills needed to succeed in the professional world.
