Memphis second baseman overcame injury to set records before transferring for final season
Long Road to Memphis
When Daunte Stuart was 14 years old, his parents moved the family from the Bahamas to the United States so his parents could attend college in Houston, Texas.
One of the things that traveled with Stuart on that long journey to the U.S.—his love of baseball.
“Growing up living in the Bahamas it’s different than over here,” Stuart said. “The biggest difference is that I was around family so much and the culture. It’s a smaller place where I’m from and I got to play a lot of baseball with my childhood friends.”
In Houston, Stuart played baseball for Woodlands High School before committing to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
While at Northwestern State Stuart made his mark.
He tied the single-game school hitting record with three doubles, which scored two runs, in a loss against Stephen F. Austin.
During his senior season, he ranked second on the team with 40 RBIs and tied for third with seven home runs. Stuart broke the school record in single-game total stolen bases and single-game home runs (3).
His impressive season at Northwestern State caught the attention of Memphis, who reached out to Stuart when he announced his decision to enter the transfer portal as a graduate student for his last year of eligibility.
Stuart saw the chance to play for the Tigers as an opportunity to have his best season yet.
“I thought that Memphis would be a great program for me to play one of my best seasons possible,” Stuart said. “And be part of a team that I see having a successful season.”
The main goal for his final season? Putting it all out on the field so that when he looks back on his time at Memphis he can say he gave it his best.
Bouncing back from injury
A few years ago Stuart’s chances of playing for Memphis or any other school were in jeopardy.
In the last game of his Sophomore season at Northwestern State, he fractured his hamate bone, which forced him to be out for the entire summer.
When he returned for fall ball, the hamate bone fractured again, and surgery was needed right before his junior season.
“That whole process was a tough mental battle because I never had surgery before,” Stuart said. “So having to deal with that and understanding what it’s like to come back from a serious injury helped me become a stronger ball player.”
Missing out on baseball for seven months was a major setback, especially because the injury prevented him from being able to swing a bat. Despite months of recovering, Stuart said the injury made him stronger.
It was an emotional ride for Stuart, who felt like he was having to relearn how to swing a bat. But he came back in a big way.
The second baseman posted a career-high five hits in a game his junior season and went 4-for-9 with a double, four RBIs, and a home run in a doubleheader sweep of Alcorn State University.
“It’s easy to put in work when you just had a good game but when you haven’t got a hit in your last five or six games that shows this is something I really want to do,” Stuart said. “You have to love baseball and it has to be a part of who you are.”
Despite all the adversity, Stuart’s success on the baseball field is centered around his love for the game and those who inspire him to become the best version of himself.
Through the obstacles and challenges, Stuart defeated the odds and kept grinding no matter the circumstances. Stuart looks to finish his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers baseball team, knowing that he left it all out there on the baseball field.
The Tigerpen 
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