Like most other athletes in his dorm, Lance McSluggertone rises with the sun. Given that the sun does not, in fact, have a snooze button, it makes for a great motivator.

Lance walked to his window and looked out at the dewy morning. His spirits dampened a little at the sight of the perfectly green grass. This time of year, there would be at least three feet of snow in his hometown of Saint Rochesterfield Rapids Park, Minnesota. People would be wading through their front yards, cheeks flushed from both the nippy winter breeze and the struggle to the morning paper. Sigh. Good ol' Saint Rochesterfield Rapids Park.

But Lance attends school at Southern State University, where temperatures are warm and baseball can always be played. He has to constantly remind himself that practice and training are a year-round event. So even in those winter months when intercollegiate games are a ways away, Mr. Sunshine is his constant companion.

Lance's breakfast usually consists of training fuel: a lot of oatmeal, eggs, and healthy fruit. Those Super Frosted Sugar Bombs haunt his dreams and tempt him like the Sirens of old. He is a college student, after all.

Come on, sailors. The water's great.

In his mini-fridge, Lance looks for good, stick-to-your ribs meals full of ingredients that don't start with "diglyceride." Turns out, red 40 isn't a fruit. He Googled it.

Lance settles for semi-frozen yogurt with a cup of granola on top. This never fills him up as much as he wants. Also, he can't help but feel like a hippie.

He dresses in lightweight but weather-appropriate clothes. Stormy skies may cancel a ball game, but practice is one of those "neither rain nor sleet nor dead of night" kind of things. After checking the mirror, Lance heads out the door.

His first stop: the weight room. Since Lance is a power hitter, he works on upper body strength. He knows that when he gets to the gym, he's going to see the outfielders and the pitching squad. They work the weights for a while: every weekday for at least an hour. The good news is his teammates would be there to egg him on.

The bad news? His teammates would also be there to mock him mercilessly if he appears…less than masculine. His ears still burn from the "Lancerina" put-down from a few weeks before.

Even though he knew there was nothing inherently wrong with femininity, he still disliked being laughed at.

After curling five sets of fifty-pound weights, Lance hits the showers and gets ready for class. Baseball players usually have to set their classes in the morning to keep afternoons clear for playing.

Lance has been sliding in his Advanced Math 101 class. Since he needs to keep up his studies, he corrals a spot in the study hall and downloads an app that makes you pay money whenever you want to use social media. To a poor college student like Lance, this is a Godsend.

After class, Lance heads back to the gym to meet with a position specialist for an hour. Here, he practices defensive strategies: running, catching, positioning, and other techniques to keep from ending up on one of those Biggest Baseball Screw-Ups DVDs.

After this, he checks in with Ace Jackson, his batting instructor, to work on his swing. Lance attempts to make a "swinger" joke by quoting Austin Powers: Goldmember, but it falls flat.

"Oh, Lance…" Ace begins. "You're a great baller. Comedian? Not so much." Ouch. Unbeknownst to Ace, Lance had been Googling stand-up gig opportunities last night. He knew he would never have the time to pursue this passion, but he mentally un-bookmarks those websites anyway. Somber and crestfallen, he continues to take pitch after pitch in the batting cage to make like Babe Ruth when the time comes.

Today, Lance works with the coaches from 10:00AM until 12:00PM. Tomorrow, it could be 8:00AM to 10:00AM, while Wednesday is the dreaded split: 8:00AM to 9:00AM, then class, then 12:00PM until 1:00PM. All that time management will pay dividends on the field… and more importantly, keep Coach from reverting to Shouty Man mode.

Luckily, Coach loves Lance because he's a self-motivator. You don't need to jump on him to get that extra workout in or spend the extra time making his swing as sweet as honey. Coaches like players who want to be the best, and who spend every free moment getting there. Lance has landed him firmly in the happy zone with all that hard work.

Lunch is packed with plenty of proteins, carbs, and fresh vegetables for vitamins. Lance loves salads, but he certainly can't say no to a sandwich on wheat bread or a tasty piece of chicken either.

Big portions of nutritious meals give him plenty of fuel to keep going in the afternoon, which are usually filled with intrasquad games and conditioning sessions to keep those muscles from turning to flab. Practice takes place four to five days a week and usually fills up the afternoon and early evening hours…sometimes longer, if he feels he needs it.

If he's got an actual game, that's usually going to take the place of afternoon practice. Today, it's just the basics. Luckily.

From there, it's dinner—another big but Mom-friendly one, though Lance can't resist adding a big chocolate shake for dessert—and then hitting the books again. Depending on his schedule, he may get to hang out with his buddies or see his girlfriend Maxine "The Terminator" Schultz who pitches for the women's softball team.

But those moments are infrequent at best…and even when they come, he's gotta get his shut-eye, because it's all going to start again tomorrow morning.

(Source)