Willingham Reflects On Career
If you follow DeKalb County sports, you’ve likely heard of Cody Willingham. If you call yourself a Plainview Bear, however, Cody’s excellence on the football field and late-game theatrics on the hardwood are almost certainly seared into your mind. He was a tremendous athlete during his time at Plainview, where he experienced success in all three major sports, but out of the three, baseball has taken him further than most players from this area will go.
This week I spoke with Cody about his playing career, and this is what he had to say:
Q. You began your collegiate baseball career at Southern Union Community College. How did your time there prepare you for the transition to Jacksonville State?
A. My time at Southern Union State Community College brought a lot of adversity my way. I had to learn to adjust to being away from home in a place where there was not much activity outside of baseball. My parents told me it would be hard and sure enough, they were right. I had to learn to compete all over again with guys who had the same level of ability or even better than myself. I was fortunate to play for good coaches on all levels in high school, JUCCO and Division I. I will be able to take what I have learned from these men and apply it to my own coaching career one day.
Q. How much of a difference did you notice in the speed of the game from the high school to the college level?
A. There was a gradual difference from high school to JUCCO, then a significant difference from JUCCO to Division I. By my sophomore year at SUCC, I had adjusted, but it took me having a year under my belt. I had to step up my game in Division I. From high school to JUCCO to Division I, I had to learn to compete on every level all over again.
Q. What was it like competing against SEC competition?
A. Words can’t even describe the feeling. I had the opportunity to pitch against three SEC schools during the regular season, those being Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and later Ole Miss in the Regional Tournament and Regional Championship game. It was a dream come true. I got the start against nationally-ranked Auburn at Auburn in a hostile environment, and later in the season, I earned the win against nationally ranked Georgia at home.
Q. You were a part of JSU’s first D1 tournament win in history. What is that like?
A. Having the chance to be regular season champs, OVC Tournament Champs, and then later being a part of history at JSU by winning its first two Regional Tournament games against Illinois and Clemson was something I will never forget. The experience will be something that I will be able to share with kids of my own one day and with kids that I will be allowed to coach.
Q. What’s your favorite memory from your time at JSU?
A. One of my favorite memories has to be winning my first OVC regular season and Tournament Championship. This accomplishment was something that had not been done since 2014. This was special because it was my senior year, and I played with a talented group of guys who were not only teammates but friends. I think my favorite memory was pitching twice against Ole Miss in front of 10,000 people at Swayze Field in our regionals. The crowd was tough, but the atmosphere was unbelievable.
Cody graduated from Jacksonville State University in December and is pursuing a master’s degree in physical education. He plans to become a coach and work with all three major sports.