TEXARKANA, Texas -- Texas A&M University-Texarkana graduate student Sean Townsend is following his baseball dream but not without a backup plan.
Townsend is a right-handed pitcher in the Pecos League for the Garden City Wind in Kansas.
He graduated from TAMU-T in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and played his last season with the Eagles in 2022.
"Baseball is all I have known in my life so I am going to keep going until someone says, 'Hey, this isn't for you anymore'", Townsend said. "I am trying to work my way to the minor leagues."
Townsend, who is originally from Fort Worth, Texas, has wisely worked on his backup plan while pursuing his baseball dream. He will graduate in the spring of 2023 with his master's degree in criminal justice at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
"If baseball doesn't work out, I am going to get a big boy job," he said. "I have to keep following my dream. Baseball isn't always going to be here for me but a full-time job will be."
A job with the Drug Enforcement Administration or the United States Customs and Border Protection is Townsend's top choice. First, he will more than likely become a policeman or game warden.
Townsend compared the Pecos League to baseball at a Division I junior college. His pitches include fastball, slider, cutter and changeup.
"The most challenging aspect of pitching is having to come in and do a job," Townsend said. "A player only gets so many opportunities to do it, if not, there are plenty of other guys waiting to do it. Guys who want a player's spot and can do it just like him or better."
Townsend enjoys hunting, shooting guns, driving around in his all-terrain vehicle, fishing and golfing in his spare time.
No matter where Townsend ends up, he has intelligently planned for his future should his dream of playing in the major leagues not pan out.