Photo courtesy of Khalid Collymore By Aubrie Chastain
With baseball season in full swing, University of Montevallo’s team has successfully been off to a great start, leaving them with a record of 13-2 as of March 1.
Upon winning the 11th game, Khalid Collymore, #4 on the team, helped bring UM to their successful win against Kentucky Wesleyan University in an 11-6 game.
Collymore, a junior political science major from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, could not be prouder of the team, saying, “I think this is the hottest start Montevallo Baseball has ever had…It’s been unbelievably fun already, but the season is long, and we have a lot of work to do.”
Collymore has played baseball since he was four and followed his brothers’ footsteps, as he is the youngest of three. Collymore said, “I was super impressionable, so when my oldest brother decided he wanted to switch sports, it took maybe half a second for me to decide.”
Collymore is an outfielder, playing in all three of the outfield positions. When it came to deciding schools, Collymore found Montevallo early in the baseball recruitment process.
He said, “When I came down for a visit, I saw the campus, the facilities, the resident halls and I knew almost instantly this place would be comfortable enough to call home for a couple of years.”
Since coming to UM, Collymore has seen the team’s progress in working together. “Everybody is pulling in the same direction, everybody is rooting for each other’s success, and when one guy fails, there’s always someone to pick him up,” said Collymore.
Collymore has always loved baseball because he says it is such a unique sport. With baseball, he says there are so many opportunities for people with different attributes. Collymore said, “A big guy with strength is just as vital as a small guy with speed like me, just in different ways.”
Collymore has had many successes on the field. During his 2021 school year, Collymore started in 29 out of 31 games he played. He has scored 22 runs, had 11 walks and six stolen bases. He also finished fourth in the Gulf Southern Conference in Hit by Pitch.
As a student athlete, Collymore focuses on the balance of academics and sports. He is focused on achieving his bachelor’s degree while continuing to strive for the best on the field.
He mentioned, “If graduation is where my career ends, I’ll forever be thankful for baseball bringing me this far.”
Aubrie Chastain is a writer for The Alabamian. She is a first-year political science major with plans to attend law school. She enjoys a good book, coffee and hikes.
