Dale Francis is the starting first baseman for the Vipers in the 2021 CLPB season. He is from Fort Pierce, FL, and is currently attending Alabama State University. His college stats during his freshman season were a .270 BA with 4 RBI’s, 8 runs and 2 stolen bases in 16 games.
Q: What have you enjoyed while playing in the CLPB this summer? Why?
A: I’ve enjoyed the ability to play ball with different people and be able to make new friends that can potentially last a lifetime.
Q: What kind of teammate would you say you are and why? Ex: Vocal Leader, Leader by Example, Energized Player.
A: I would say that I am in the middle of being a vocal leader and a leader by example kind of guy. The reason why I would say I’m both is because I can change the team moral with a couple words and then at a future at-bat I get the job done to build confidence in my teammates. By doing this I’m showing that if I can do it then they can do it as well if they put their minds to it.
Q: What made you decide to go to Alabama State University?
A: I chose Alabama State to play ball because of the vibe and atmosphere I got from the coaches and players were amazing and it felt like home.
Q: During your past season at ASU, you posed a .270 BA with 4 RBI’s, 8 runs and 2 stolen bases in just 16 games. How would you describe your first collegiate season?
A: My first collegiate season wasn’t what I expected; everything was shut down because of COVID-19 and I really didn’t get the full college experience. My biggest takeaway from my first year is to always be ready for your number to be called because you will never know when you are needed to play.
Q: When you were growing up, what was your dream job? Why?
A: My dream job growing up was to play in the MLB and be the first in the family to play pro baseball. While growing up my grandfather loved sports and said I was going to be special. He said that he could feel it. Two days before he passed away he had a vision of me playing in the pros and told my mom. My mom and grandmother said, “David it’s just a dream.” Two days later on his death bed he calls my mom to the room and told her to bring me to him. I was on the other side of town, but he said “I’ll wait go get him”. When I arrive at the hospital, my Mom and grandmother are in the room and my grandfather says, “Dj, you’re going to be great one day. I don’t know which sport it will be, either baseball, football, or basketball, whichever one you pick you will be great at it and once you make it the ants will come back to me and tell me.” After he said that he passed away. Everyday since then I have worked hard to be able to get closer and closer to fulfilling the dream we both had.
Q: What is your greatest baseball achievement at any level? Why?
A: I believe the greatest level of achievement in baseball at the moment was getting my first collegiate hit with my own song as my walk up song. What made it so memorable was the fact that my college teammates went wild after I made contact. I later posted the hit on TikTok and It went viral. Kids across the world are starting to use my song as a walk up song as well.
Q: You currently have a .356 BA with 11 RBI’s, 12 runs, 10 walks and 4 stolen bases in 16 games. How have you been able to be such a strong impact for the Vipers offense?
A: The biggest way to stay consistent in this game is to have a short memory. This is vital because this game is predominately mental and the closest thing to life. You’re always going to face adversity, but what you do to overcome it is what makes it important.
Q: What is your go-to choice of music to listen to when getting ready for a game? Why?
A: My go to choice for music before games are my songs Envy, Life is to Short and Menace. The reason behind this is because most of the lyrics were written from some of my past experiences and I can relate to it more.
Q: When it comes to baseball, who is your role model? Why?
A: When it comes to baseball my role model is my Dad who isn’t a bad ball player himself, he was very consistent and has a great work ethic on and off the field.