It is not very common for a 30-year-old to come play baseball at a junior college.
However, Kirk Cabana is fulfilling his dreams by playing for Citrus College 10 years after his budding college football career ended.
Cabana grew up in West Covina and attended Citrus College 12 years ago.
He was on the football team and got a Division I scholarship as a kicker to North Carolina A&T.
Unable to keep his grades up, Cabana soon became ineligible for the scholarship.
Ten-and-a-half years later, Cabana decided that after the birth of his son he should go back to school.
“(My wife) somehow placed her faith in me,” Cabana said. “It was something for me I can do. I am not supposed to limit myself. I wanted to give myself a chance.” It took a while for Katie Cabana to come around to the idea of her husband playing for the baseball team.
“I supported the idea of Kirk going back to school, but when he told me his desire to play on the baseball team, it took a while to accept,” Katie Cabana said. “I was confused, a little mad to be honest, it felt selfish, and I didn’t understand how that was going to get him to his end result… a new job.”
She said she trusted him when he said playing baseball would be the right decision for his personal growth.
“My husband is very strong willed and I know once he puts his mind to something, it’s going to happen,” Katie Cabana said. “Sometimes I think he is crazy, but I trust and believe in him. All I asked was that he upholds his previous commitments, most importantly our family.”
Cabana came back to school in spring 2017 and his main goal was to make the team.
He decided to ditch football and put all of his efforts toward baseball, simply for his own pleasure and enjoyment.
“I was 29 when I started,” Cabana said. “Being the older guy on the team is not easy. But as a father and a student, I also wanted to influence the younger players to not make the same mistakes I did.”
Even though he knew he was low on time, Cabana still saw the bright side of every obstacle faced.
“What got me here was personal development,” Cabana said. “It’s been great to get younger during the process. These guys gave me the opportunity to be myself.” Baseball teammate Thomas Chavez spoke of Cabana’s sense of humor.
“Gotta love Kirk,” Chavez said. “He’ll crack a joke at anything.” Cabana decided to come back to Citrus College rather than Mt. SAC or another college because he felt like he owed Citrus College something.
Being ineligible during his first encounter at Citrus filled him with guilt.
He knew that the staff and his family did their jobs of supporting him and he let not only his family down, but himself as well.
Kirk Cabana is a full-time student, worker, athlete, husband and father.
As motivation he tells himself, “Don’t waste this gift. ”He was tired of living in his comfort zone, so he went out to go after what he truly wanted.
“As the baseball season is wrapping up and we’ve been on this journey for a year, all I can say is this is the most commitment I’ve seen from my husband for himself, personally, and all facets of his life,” Katie Cabana said .“He’s also the happiest. There is something about sports that drives him, something that I will never understand. Being on the team has re-sparked something within him and has given him confidence in the direction he is working toward for himself and our family.”
Cabana is the oldest person to ever try out for the Citrus College baseball team.
Cabana is making history for himself.
With an immense support team, he one day hopes to receive a scholarship, no matter the college.
As of now, he is working endlessly on becoming a better man, husband, father, athlete,and most of all — a student.
