Trevor Davis

Coming into his junior season at Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, Trevor Davis was approached by head baseball coach Jeff Johnson with a plan to get the baseball team back on track. Poteet’s leadership was up and down as it improved during his sophomore season, but was quickly eroding.

“Last year, we had a real big problem, no one stepped up and coach asked me to step up and fix it, and I’ve done my best to try and do that,” Davis said.

Trevor took on his leadership role, texting his guys once a week to offer encouragement, something that Coach Johnson knows keeps them motivated and working hard.

“Trevor established himself as a leader this past year for our ball club and has taken on even more of a leadership role for us this fall.”

Trevor began to emerge from his shell to be that leader for Poteet, translating to a great season individually. Davis, who plays third base, batted .375 with an on-base percentage of .512, slugging .812, an OPS of 1.325 with two homers and 13 RBI in 12 games this past season.

“He plays with a lot of emotion and figured out how to use that emotion in a positive way that helps push and motivate his teammates to lay it on the line for each other,” Johnson said.

Like most great players show, Trevor exuded the competitive fire that teammates fed off in practice and games. Add in sound values and character and you have an impactful leader. It’s this advancement in personal growth that Davis said coaches and scouts at Baseball Factory helped instill in him that he hopes to share with teammates at his next destination: collegiate baseball.

Davis, who graduates next spring, recently received a scholarship to play at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, one of the top Division I junior colleges in the country.

“When I was an incoming freshman, I was really confident and the leaders (from the high school team) that I was under didn’t really do a good job of showing young players the way. They made me feel like I wasn’t a very good baseball player. It was around that time I started coming to Baseball Factory and learned from the videos that were made for me by the Factory and progressed as an athlete in how I played and how I lead by example.”

Since the first Baseball Factory National Tryout he attended as a 13-year-old in 2014, those in contact with him, like Baseball Factory Player Development Coordinator, Chris Brown, have seen the growth. Not only as a player, but a person as well.

“I’ve been with the Factory for 10 years now. Every player I speak with talks about wanting to play in college or becoming a big leaguer. It’s easy to say it; Trevor acted on it and put in the work. Trevor is a perfect example that there’s a big difference between saying you want something, and proving you want something. There’s a reason he received scholarship offers, it wasn’t an accident and it didn’t happen without him putting in the work.”

And put in the work he did.

In Plano, TX at the Interactive Video Program where he received his personalized video detailing strengths and opportunities to work on weaknesses, Davis started out on a journey to improve himself. He ran an 8.13 60-yard dash and threw 66 MPH at the event. At every Baseball Factory event, he incrementally improved his numbers. One area that needed attention was improving his speed and re-shaping his body to better prepare for playing.

“The videos played a good part with my mechanics in fielding and throwing, but with the speed, I still wasn’t there. I’d hit a double and be out of breath and my teammates would ask, ‘why are you out of breath?’ I continued to work on it and I just got tired of being tired. I pushed myself to fix it, that was the main goal.”

Trevor changed his life style completely. Gone were the candy bars, sodas and fast food. Enter in high protein, carbs, water and milk. Trevor’s days read out much the same every week, regimented in consistency. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Trevor rises at 4:30 in the morning to get to the gym, putting in 15 minutes of conditioning, then onto legs, chest, back and arms, all before the first school bell rings.

“I live in the weight room, man. I love it.”

From 2:15 to 4:00 o’clock, he practices with his teammates. In the evenings three nights a week, he goes to the cages to hit for an hour and a half. All things done with the focus of getting better each day.

“He knew he had four decent tools, but when it came to speed, he’d get the numbers and each event after, he’d get a little faster,” his grandfather, Bruce Davis explains. “He got on a workout schedule a year and a half ago and it was all timed. He’d run on an elliptical – 30 seconds fast, 30 second jog, 5 nights a week, just to get his time down. And every time we’d attend a Factory Tryout or a showcase, his time would get better.”

He went on a tear, losing 35 pounds – down to his current 215 pounds – shaving nearly a second and a half off his 60-yard dash (from 8.13 to 6.78 at June’s Baseball Factory National Texas Showcase).

Trevor at third base for Poteet.

“He is that kid that when he plays a game on the road, we won’t stay at a hotel that doesn’t have a gym,” Bruce said. “When he’s done playing for the day, he gets on the treadmill and does two miles to get rid of the lactic acid. He’s driven to be a baseball player.”

“Trevor is an example of why we choose to work at Baseball Factory,” Brown said. “I remember him at 14 years old, throwing 66 and running over eight seconds in the 60-yard dash. Now as a senior, he’s throwing 90 MPH, running a 6.78-60. From a 14-year-old kid training with us in Pirate City, to a 17-year-old Under Armour Pre-Season All-American with a college scholarship and big things ahead, it’s pretty amazing.”

The personal growth became an important part of this story from the first time he stepped foot on the field at a Baseball Factory event.

“As a person, it’s taught me to be humble. I walked into that first event being the cockiest player. I thought I was the best guy there and I wasn’t. Being at these events showed me that there was competition out there in the state of Texas and the country that was better than I was, so it made me work harder.”

For Bruce, it’s the personalized care, answers and information from the Factory that’s invaluable for players and families.

“Trevor or I can call Chris any time and within an hour, he calls back. He’ll also give us tidbits on events he thinks would help Trevor’s development. When we’re able to do them, we do it, because it’s been such a great experience for us. The scouts and coaches at the tryouts and showcases are very giving with their time, talking to each individual to get best out of them.”

As he continued through, sending his videos out to colleges, the calls and emails were slow to come in, despite improving his numbers at each event. Beginning to feel discouraged, Bruce and his summer ball coaches made sure that Trevor remained positive and continued to plug away being the best he could be on the field and in the classroom.

“My summer coaches (Coach Joe and Scooter Jordan) told me ‘people are going to come knocking, you just have to stay patient.’ I knew I was capable of doing more than what I was currently doing. I felt I was going to find a place to play, whether I walk-on or do it on a scholarship. I realized that this was my last summer and I wanted to enjoy my time with my friends. The positivity just kind of snowballed from there.”

Bruce recalls a conversation he had with Executive VP, Steve Bernhardt at the Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament this past January that helped boost his confidence and the confidence of his grandson.

“If by the time Trevor finishes spring ball with the high school, and isn’t getting talked to by then, you call me and we’ll find him a college,” Bruce said. “It’s that kind of follow-through and care that separates you guys from the rest.”

Not too much longer, Navarro College, a school that has produced players who have gone onto Division I programs and being drafted to the pros, came calling. Navarro, being one hour from where Trevor lives, was the perfect fit for him because of the lineage of players to have played in that program, among them, alumni from Poteet High School.

“I’m excited to see another Poteet kid go down there,” Johnson said. “He follows a long line of baseball players to go to Navarro over the years and they do a great job developing players and getting them to the Division I and pro stage and I know Trevor is going to benefit from the great coaches at Navarro.”

After working so closely with his leader, Johnson knows Trevor will go on to do great things.

“There is no doubt in my mind that he will do great things on and off the field. Trevor is a phenomenal young man and a great man of character, he has what it takes in my opinion to have a successful career after high school and beyond.”

The time spent with the Factory not only changed Trevor on the field, but also in the way he helps his own family. It’s changed his approach in how to lead by example with his younger brother, Ben.

“Ben is doing things at seven years old that Trevor wasn’t doing until he was eight or nine years old because he’s grown up on the field with his big brother,” Bruce said.

Because of what he has seen from his grandson blossoming into the player and person he is becoming, he’s made one promise that he wants everyone to know.

“I can guarantee you, this time around as Ben grows, there won’t be any other organizations in the mix. Everything we do will be Baseball Factory.”