Cal Baseball: Fall Baseball Is Something New to Brandon McIlwain, a Onetime Bears QB

Cal center fielder says he is reaping the benefits of fousing on one sport

For the first time since he was a little kid, Brandon McIlwain did not play football in the fall.

The fall of 2019 was devoted entirely to baseball, which is where McIlwain's professional future may lie.

Throughout high school as well as during his time at South Carolina and two seasons at Cal (one as a redshirt), McIlwain was known as a football player who also played baseball. He started three games at quarterback as a true freshman at South Carolina and started two games at quarterback for Cal in 2018. He was moved to a running back/wide receiver position late that season, however, and decided last winter to give up football and focus on baseball. 

One of the reasons he transferred to Cal was the opportunoty to devote a lot of his time to baseball, as well as to play football.

He immediately became the Bears' starting center fielder last season, although his season was cut short by a broken foot.

Now McIlwain is healthy again and reaping the benefits of playing baseball throughout the fall for virtually the first time in his life. It's why so few elite athletes attempt to play more than one sport at the college level.

McIlwain said in the video above that being able to focus on baseball in the fall has an impact.

"It makes a huge difference," he said. "It was something I was really excited to be a part of, being able to put in as much work as I could for a full semester."

Since baseball success depends so much on precision, repetition is ritical.

"It's huge in baseball to be consistent," he said, "and I think to be able to get more reps and to swing the bat more, to see more pitches helps a ton with consistency, and I think that was the biggest thing for me, that I got a chance to work repetitively and make little hanges without the stress of the season."

In 2018, Brandon McIlwain (5) played in 10 football games, including two starts, for Cal -- Photo by John Hefti, USA TODAY Sports