Odie Fremin
May 5, 2015Morgan City rodeo gives money to schools
May 5, 2015
In street clothes, you’d never be able to guess that Corey Helmer is a college athlete.
He’s not tall, not thick and looks a few meals skinnier than the average young adult his age.
But put a bat in his hands high stirrup socks on his feet and stick him in the middle of a baseball diamond, and it won’t take long for Helmer to prove that he’s got the chops to play baseball with anyone – big, tall or small.
A South Lafourche High School graduate, Helmer is enjoying success at the collegiate level at Chesapeake College in Maryland.
Helmer hit well over .300 last season as a freshman, establishing himself as one of the top middle infielders in his conference. He’s followed that success up with more as a sophomore. Helmer is hitting .292 at press time with 16 runs scored and five stolen bases. After the season, he’s committed to continue his career at Louisiana College.
Not bad for a kid who stands just 5-feet, 7-inches and weighs 145-pounds soaked and wet. Helmer said the ability to thrive as a smaller guy in a “big man’s” game is a path he’s paved through hard work, determination and his unwillingness to ever take no for an answer.
“I’m not a big guy. I know that,” Helmer said with a laugh. “But for me, the recipe is all about heart. If you put the time in and love the game enough to work hard to get yourself better, you can get better and play against anybody. You can accomplish anything, and the sky is the limit. I just try and stay focused and make sure that I’m working harder than anybody else.”
For Helmer, his road to Maryland is unique – paved both with immense talent and also a little bit of fate.
Helmer was a standout infielder for South Lafourche High School – one of the top players on the team throughout his time in Galliano.
Former Tarpons baseball coach Jared Landrum said Helmer has always had an unrivaled passion for the game that’s allowed him to thrive. Landrum said Helmer was a leader by example in high school – a guy that never let his lack of size affect his ability to play the game at a high level.
Helmer was a top of the order batter for the Tarpons, who was
also penciled in either at second base or shortstop.
“Corey has always been the type of player who’s been extremely coachable,” Landrum said. “He’s always had success, but he’s never been one of those kids who assumed or thought that he knew everything. It’s one of those things where if you tell Corey to do something, and you tell him that it’ll make him better, then you never have to ask him twice, because he’s going to do it.
“Anything he could do to get better – any drill or any extra work or anything, Corey would always do it. He’s always been that way.”
But even as one of the most successful prep players in our area, Helmer said he had a tough time finding a collegiate home.
His size had a lot to do with that.
As Helmer tried to fish out colleges looking for infielders, he said he was frequently turned away by coaches who weren’t sure that an infielder of his size could last in the college game.
But Helmer never let the negativity sway him, and he always continued to work hard and push forward. After getting a bunch of ‘no’s’, he got his big break while playing a Baseball Factory Tournament in Bradenton, Florida. While there, Helmer was coached by Frank Szymanski – the head coach at Chesapeake.
Szymanski loved Helmer’s grit and the two immediately bonded. It all ended with the Tarpon packing his bags and heading to the East Coast to join Szymanski’s college team.
“He liked the way that I played,” Helmer said. “So he decided to give me a shot. I didn’t even know that Chesapeake, Maryland existed before this, to be honest with you. And then before I knew it, this place was my new home.”
Helmer immediately repaid the coach’s faith.
As a freshman last season, Helmer was a monster on the diamond, hitting .369 in 29 games as a utilityman.
This season, the local is Chesapeake’s primary second baseman. The average isn’t quite as high this go-round, but Helmer is still one of the team’s most consistent players. Through his first 34 games, Helmer recorded 28 hits in 96 at-bats, including four doubles and 13 RBI.
It’s all been enough for Helmer to earn another two years of college ball at Louisiana College. Helmer said he made contact with the program through e-mail exchanges, touting that LC liked how hard he played and the fact that he was a steady contact hitter.
For Helmer, the commitment marks a chance to be home – alas. He said he loves Maryland, but misses Louisiana weather.
“It’s cold here. It’s hard to play baseball at the beginning of the season because of the weather,” Helmer said. “With Louisiana College, it seems like they have a pretty successful program. I’m looking forward to playing closer to home. I’m just ready to be back in Louisiana.”
That’s not bad for one of the smallest kids on the diamond.
Small in size, yes. But there’s no questioning that Helmer’s heart is one of the biggest among college baseball players in the country.
That heart-first mentality has gotten him this far, he said. So why stop now?
“I’m going to keep working as hard as I can,” Helmer said. “My whole life, I’ve had people tell me what I couldn’t do. I just focus on what I can do, and I believe that I can be an effective baseball player. I believe that if I keep working hard, I can do anything. I know that I can achieve anything.”
“He’s one of those kids who you don’t bet against,” Landrum said. “He works so hard. You always know that he’s going to find a way to be effective. He’s small, yes. But he has a great skillset. Your size means nothing when it comes to your skillset. He’s a good player. He has a great baseball IQ. He knows how to play this game, and he has the tools to play it at a high level for anyone that chooses him for their squad.”
‘The recipe is all about heart. If you put the time in and love the game enough to work hard to get yourself better, you can get better and play against anybody.’
Corey Helmer
Local collegiate infielder
Local college Infielder Corey Helmer gets himself ready for an at-bat during a game this season. Helmer has made a big Impact throughout his two seasons at the college level. He’s been a two-year standout middle Infielder at Chesapeake College In Maryland. After the season, Helmer plans to continue his career with Louisiana College. He said that he’s looking forward to being able to play closer to home.
Local infielder Corey Helmer fields a chopper during a game this season. After batting well more than .300 as a freshman, Helmer is continuing his success into his sophomore season for Chesapeake.
