By Liam Reilly
With the first home game of the season against New Paltz just minutes away, Jake DesLauriers and Chris Rouleau step out of the locker room to head to Blake Arena. This home game meant something different to the two members of the Pride, who had previously shared the court together for Academy Volleyball, a club team on Long Island. For Rouleau, this was his last season ever donning Springfield’s maroon and white. Meanwhile, this was the start of a new and unexpected chapter for DesLauriers.
DesLauriers, a junior on the Springfield College men’s volleyball team, started his sports career in Eastport, New York, when he was younger, choosing to play baseball and volleyball. Athletics was a staple for the DesLauriers clan, as Jake bonded with his family by playing baseball and volleyball in their backyard.
“My family is a big volleyball family, so that’s where I picked up volleyball,” DesLauriers said. “I was always around it all my life. Baseball was the thing with me, my dad and my brother—we kind of all grew up with it together. Found our love for it, and ever since we were young we were just always playing sports.”
As he grew older, DesLauriers took his passion to the next level by playing on several travel teams and school teams for both sports. Taking on some of the best teams in the country including travel baseball powerhouses Giants Scout Team and the Five Star National, DesLauriers felt that he was always on some of the most competitive teams.
DesLauriers, a pitcher and shortstop, was usually one of the best players on his teams. After being named Second Team All-Long Island as a senior and the Suffolk League V Pitcher of the Year, DesLauriers thought that he had a chance to “do something really cool with this.”
“I can go and play in college and compete at the next level,” DesLauriers said. “I had the idea that maybe you could go to the pros one day and that would be kind of cool.’ That was kind of the dream, playing baseball. I was always around volleyball so it was a fun part of my life that I continued through.”
This took him to the next stop on his path to sports journey— Hofstra University.
DesLauriers had reached a personal milestone, playing Division I baseball. Shortly after his commitment, DesLauriers’ dad, Kevin, took a position as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Finance and Administration at Hofstra.
DesLauriers didn’t know his dad was going to get the job but knew he was going to get interviews, a way for DesLauriers to feel close to home while still being away at college. The baseball coaching staff also stood out to him.
“There was a brand new coaching staff going in and I knew them from travel baseball," DesLauriers said. “They knew me and they wanted me to play there. Having that feeling that they wanted me and that I had a chance to play Division I baseball, why not take that chance, chase that dream that every little kid has. That was my aspiration.”
The path to the mound didn’t pan out as DesLauriers imagined. He worked his way into a contributing role in his first season, making four appearances in his first season posting a 1-0 record and a 7.11 ERA in 6 1/3 innings of work. However the demand of Division I baseball became tough for DesLauriers to handle. DesLauriers got a lot out of the experience, but still found it to be very taxing.
“It’s a lot,” DesLauriers said. “It’s tough on you physically and mentally. I found that maybe this wasn’t the route for me. I did enjoy it as the time that I took doing it, but at the end of the day I felt my time could be better used somewhere else. I could grow to be somebody better than where I am now, and I thought transitioning to volleyball and finding a different environment to be a part of was the better move.”
Although he enjoyed his time at Hofstra with his team, DesLauriers felt it was time to pursue another avenue. This meant he had to give up his dream of playing professional baseball.
“It was hard to give up,” DesLauriers said. “This was the sport I was playing since I was younger. A lot of the people I met, a lot of the different lessons I learned along the way that helped me grow to who I am. It was definitely hard, especially leaving the guys that I spent my first few years with in college.”
While he was playing baseball at college, DesLauriers traveled home to help his father coach his brother’s club volleyball team. Hofstra didn’t offer men’s volleyball, so the club team’s practice was the only time he got a touch on the ball.
DesLauriers’ brother, Ayden has been a part of the USA volleyball pipeline for a number of years. The coach of the USA volleyball team? Springfield College men’s volleyball head coach Charlie Sullivan. The 11-time Division III National Champion coach didn’t know DesLauriers personally, but knew of him through his brother. DesLauriers sent an email to Springfield, and Sullivan replied.
“I was working a camp in Long Island, Jake and I have been talking and sharing info about Springfield College, learning about what he was valuing in his next choice for a college,” Sullivan said. “We were kind of close to his house so I said ‘Why don’t we meet in the afternoon, we’ll get Starbucks and talk about the program, our visions and how Springfield College is going to be a great choice.’”
DesLauriers former club teammate, Rouleau, was another factor in the pitch to get DesLauriers to commit to Springfield. Rouleau’s positive collegiate experience gave him the inside scoop on why Springfield was the place to be.
“We set up a conversation when Coach Sullivan was in Long Island and Chris was around too,” DesLauriers said. “We met up in Starbucks and spoke for an hour and a half together. We loved talking about volleyball and Springfield. I was hearing a lot of things that sounded like a place I wanted to be at, where I could see myself growing and developing the stages of my college career and then leading into my later career.”
After their meeting, DesLauriers liked what Springfield had to offer. The program’s accolades and competitiveness stood out to him, and he saw Springfield as the place to build his volleyball skills back up while staying competitive.
When he arrived on Alden Street, DesLauriers wasn’t sure how he was going to fit in. He was the new guy who played baseball for a couple years and hadn’t touched a volleyball in two years. DesLauriers wasn’t sure what the team was expecting of him. The Pride’s nucleus already had two years of experience playing together, but they welcomed DesLauriers with open arms.
“I’ve been enjoying my experience on the team and the school,” DesLauriers said. “I’m getting [accustomed] with the classes and I get along with all the guys, which is amazing ‘cause you don’t expect that right away. I feel like it’s been a great transition for me.”
Blake Arena has been a great environment for DesLauriers, as he loves the intensity and how focused everyone is. He believes the team’s chemistry and hard work in practice helped the Pride to a 22-4 record and earn their ranking as the No. 4 team in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III men’s volleyball poll. Sullivan knew from DesLauriers’ first practice with the team that he was going to be a good fit.
“It was kind of like every practice with Jake,” Sullivan said. “He’s pretty consistent, one ofthe nicest things about him. He’s passionate, got a little dog in him, a great learner – when you’re talking to him about technique he absorbs it really well. From his second to his fifth practice, they’ve all been the same.”
DesLauriers has been enjoying a stellar debut campaign with the team. At the end of the regular season, he’s leading the team in kills (176) and points (222.5), and on April 16 was named to the AVCA All-Region I team. After playing baseball just eight months ago, DesLauriers’ transition to volleyball has looked effortless.
“He dove in, and it’s been great for us,” Sullivan said. “Him and the 12 other first-year guys have been an amazing addition to the team and have turned the program around with more competitiveness and more depth.”
Some of DesLauriers’ favorite memories of the season come from the team’s trip to California in January. The Pride took on highly competitive schools such as Hope International and Concordia University Irvine. The bonding in California helped bring the team together and strengthen its culture. More recently, DesLauriers enjoyed hosting and sweeping Vassar.
“It was a huge game, we beat them when they were No. 3 in the country,” DesLauriers said. “It was huge to get a win like that with the energy and the crowd. We knew we needed that win and you felt it when you were there. It was just a big moment to be a part of and I can’t wait to see more moments like that.”
Transitioning sports can be difficult especially when you’re in college, but DesLauriers has taken on the challenge and has been a key asset for the Pride. The 20-year-old has been a pleasure for Sullivan to coach.
“His mother [Deborah] coached Division I women’s volleyball for a long time so he comes from a volleyball background,” Sullivan said. “Definitely a coach’s kid, he’s really perceptive to anything going on. Jake wants to help the team, has no selfishness at all. He’s a giver, great energy and is very passionate and competitive, so we really benefit from those qualities.”