The Davenport athletic communications department continues its "Where are they now" segment and today's feature is Corbin Clouse who pitched for the baseball team for three seasons (2014-16). At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Clouse was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Amateur Draft. Since then, he has climbed up the ladder in minor league baseball and last season spent a majority of his time with Triple A Gwinnett. He has appeared in 128 games with a 16-9 record during the last four years. Clouse has posted a 2.60 earned-run average in 183.1 innings with 247 strikeouts and 13 saves.

1. During your first full season with the team in 2015 you advanced to the NAIA World Series, what was that experience like for you and the team?

It was a lot to take in honestly. I've never been a part of something like that. The entire town of Lewiston, Idaho knew who we were. You would think a random city in Idaho wouldn't be that cool and interesting, but it was incredible. Being a team in that World Series is extremely special. It was a huge learning experience for everybody involved as well. Our coaching staff besides one coach, had never been a part of anything like that to that extent. The players, myself included, had never been a part of something that big. That experience, though it was short, taught me a ton. 

2. You had a very good sophomore season in 2016 with a 5-0 record, 1.62 earned-run average and 75 strikeouts in 50 innings. How much do you feel you progressed between your freshman and sophomore seasons?

I progressed an extreme amount. I really focused on what I wanted to become in 2016. Before 2016 I was a very immature kid who thought God-given ability would get me to where I wanted to be. Coach Tidey gave me the harsh reality that I wasn't as good as what I thought I was. He taught me how to work hard on and off the field and its gotten me to where I am today. I owe a bunch of that progress to him and the staff he had. They saw what I could become with a little bit of pushing.

3. After your sophomore season you were selected in the 27th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Did you ever consider coming back to Davenport to improve your draft stock and possibly be picked higher in 2017?

I considered it for about 10 minutes. I just had a childhood dream come true and it was just too much to turn down in the end. Could I have gotten drafted higher in 2017? For sure. Could I have signed for a lot more money? Definitely. But what happened if I got hurt? That would've haunted me for the rest of my life, wondering what if. I hate to bring it up but Derek Dennis is the perfect example. High draft pick, offered a huge amount of money, but declines it and goes to college. Unfortunately he gets hurt at Michigan and is never the same player and never gets drafted again. I couldn't do that, even if the reward was huge. I'm not a gambling person.

4. You have risen rather quickly through the minor leagues and played most of last year with Gwinnett in Triple A. What do you think are the factors behind that rise?

The biggest factor is the teammates I have. We push each other so hard throughout a season to try and be the best we can be. In 2016 we won the Low A Championship because the group of guys we had were so competitive. Our starting pitchers were trying to outlast each other every outing. The bullpen guys were seeing who can have more strikeouts in a series. We pushed each other to be our best every single time we went out there. Another factor that played a role is my work ethic. In college before 2016, I would go through the motions basically because again, I thought my God-given abilities would take me higher. I soon realized how out of shape I was and how bad my work ethic had gotten. In July 2016, I weighed 237 pounds. In February 2017, I weighed in to Spring Training at 207 pounds. Now I weigh 217 pounds which I believe is the right weight for me to be playing. While being a professional I've really listened to my body and tried for the most part to eat clean. It really does make a huge difference in how I feel and play everyday. 

5. You are currently rehabbing an injury and had surgery in November, what has this recent coronavirus pandemic been like for you and your road to recovery?

Honestly is has been a roller coaster. I have my pros and cons about it. Pro is that I can rehab my shoulder and not stress about getting back on to the field anytime soon since there is no field to be on. Con is that I'm not making the same amount of money I was suppose to be making during the season, which is causing a little stress with rent and all that. Another con is that I miss my teammates and that competitiveness. Overall though, it hasn't been terrible. Rehab is going good so I'm very happy about that. 

6. Being from a small university, what is your message to others about being able to live your dreams in professional baseball?

Oh man, that's my favorite question ever. In high school every kids dream is to go Division I and play at the top school. I know mine was. I had Division I offers from a couple schools and ultimately I chose to sign with Western Michigan University. What I never had even thought of is that I was never going to play as a freshman maybe even sophomore because the guys they had or were bringing in were better than me. In the end I chose to decommit and then I found Davenport. A place where I knew Coach Tidey was going to give me endless opportunities. Not because I was better than whoever else was on the bench, but because that's just the type of guy he is. If you work hard everyday you will get chances and opportunities. So with all that being said, my advice is go to a school where you will play right away. Sitting on the bench and "learning" will not do you any good. Coaches say it will, but making the in-game mistakes will help you so much more. Also it doesn't matter how many draft picks that a school has had in the past. Scouts don't go to watch teams, they go to watch specific players. If you are good enough, they will find you, I promise. Before 2016, Davenport had never had anyone drafted but we had four in 2016.