Buddy Reed stepped off a plane in West Palm Beach in the summer of 2012.
Once he set foot on the ground, he instantly fell in love.
Surrounded by sunshine, sandy beaches and 75-degree weather, Buddy — a high school junior at the time — thought he found the place where he’d be continuing his budding baseball career in just two years.
"I thought that’s where (the) University of Florida was," he recalled. "So I was like, ‘OK, this is pretty cool, we’re going to be at the beach.’"
But the ensuing car ride to Gainesville dashed his dreams of spending off days playing in the sand.
"We drove four hours and I was like, ‘this is not what I expected at first,’" Buddy said. "I didn’t expect to be here in the middle of nowhere, but I take it for what it is."
Now in his junior year at UF, Buddy is aware of his surroundings. He’s aware this Florida team has a chance to win its first national championship in program history and the impact that will leave on the program.
He’s aware of his draft stock — he’s projected to be a first-round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
But for Buddy, he was an unknown commodity prior to his arrival, armed with just one baseball scholarship in hand.
He gave up his love of two other sports to come to Florida. Since then, he’s been one of the best center fielders in the country.
"I know baseball is a game of repetition and it gets repetitive after a while, but that’s why you play the game because you love it," Buddy said. "And I’m one of the best."
• • •
Born Michael Reed, "Buddy" never thought of himself as a baseball player.
In fact, he never fancied the sport.
His pedigree was in hockey — a sport his father played — and soccer.
He played every position imaginable in hockey. He used his length as a goalie, his speed along the wings, his playmaking ability as a center and his overall fitness and instincts as a defender.
Buddy said he garnered interest from Providence College about playing hockey, but nothing ever came of it.
In soccer, he was a striker. His speed — his greatest asset — and his graceful running ability made him a goal-scoring threat. Buddy led St. George’s School in Rhode Island in goals during his senior year.
And then there was baseball.
His father, who played stickball growing up in the Bronx, introduced him to the sport. Buddy gravitated to baseball because of him.
"It wasn’t really a sport I loved at first," Buddy said. "It was something I always played and had fun."
He also picked up something from his other parent. His mother taught him to become a switch hitter at an early age.
"You’re going to hit on this side and then after you get tired you’re going to hit on the other side," Buddy recalled his mother telling him. "So you’re just going to go back and forth."
It’s an asset that’s made him an intriguing prospect for the MLB Draft. A switch-hitting outfielder with his intangibles doesn’t come around too often, and it gives him an advantage over his competitors.
"I was just swinging, I didn’t know exactly what I was doing," Buddy said. "But the fact that she made me do it from both sides was definitely something that has given me an edge over certain people."
• • •
Four years ago, Florida assistant coach Brad Weitzel traveled to the UCF Showcase in Orlando to scout potential recruits.
The Knights invite players from across the country to participate so that they have a chance to be seen by colleges. At that point, Buddy wasn’t on any Division I team’s radar.
However, Weitzel found him to be a potential gem.
"He stayed around the next day, watched him play a doubleheader and basically came back saying we’ve got a switch hitting athlete that is really interesting," UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.
Buddy was surprised when Florida approached him. He wasn’t one of the showcase’s standout players, he didn’t hit well and he threw just OK.
But Weitzel liked Buddy’s energy.
"From there, he stayed to watch me throw and hit, and he followed me from there," Buddy said.
"Now I’m here."
Assistant coach Craig Bell was the next to take a hard look at Buddy. He came back scratching his head, not knowing what to make of him as a baseball prospect.
The switch-hitting prowess he brought along with his athletic ability intrigued O’Sullivan, who was next in line to make sense of Buddy the baseball player.
"I sat on him in Atlanta for about a few games and it just got to a point where he had interest in us, we had interest in him," O’Sullivan said.
"When I finally met him and he came on campus, it was a no-brainer personality-wise. He has made us look smart. He’s a really talented kid, but he had never really focused in on baseball."
From there, hard work took over.
Buddy always had the raw tools to be a great baseball player, but even those around him were amazed at how far he came after earning only one baseball scholarship.
"You gotta create your opportunities for yourself and if you get that opportunity, don’t take it for granted," Buddy said. "Definitely work as hard as you can to go with it and make something out of yourself."
• • •
Before every home game, after Florida is done with its stretching and warmups, the team gathers in left field. They huddle and raise their arms in the air, getting ready for another game at McKethan Stadium. Afterward, the team breaks and heads toward the dugout to prepare for player introductions.
Buddy is always one of the last players to join them in the dugout, and before he does, he takes off his hat and squats.
He bends his head in prayer and does the same after the National Anthem.
"I’m pretty religious. I’m Baptist. I believe that God has a plan for all of us," Buddy said. "He doesn’t choose sides but He definitely is always there and He’s always present with me."
God’s plan for Buddy has worked.
He’s no longer unknown and unproven.
People around the country know who Buddy is, and this past summer, he had a chance to showcase his abilities when he was a part of the 2015 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team with A.J. Puk, Logan Shore and JJ Schwarz.
"Over the summer, he was just showing off his speed," Schwarz said. "The other teams didn’t really know about Buddy Reed, so it was fun to watch him take advantage of his tools."
When Schwarz was asked if teams now take notice of who Buddy is, he had a simple response: "Yeah, probably," Schwarz said.
"He’s a game changer in the outfield with how much ground he covers and with every at-bat, he has the chance to beat the ball out. …It’s just really fun to watch."
Junior outfielder Ryan Larson echoed Schwarz’s praise of Buddy. Larson saw Buddy grow under former Florida outfielder Harrison Bader, and watched those two chase fly balls.
Now that Bader is gone, Larson is willing to let Buddy take charge in center.
"You can’t be bad with Buddy Reed in center field chasing down balls," junior outfielder Ryan Larson said.
"I kind of say, ‘Buddy, you take what you want. If you’re feeling tired I’ll grab the other stuff.'"
Florida was one game short of reaching the College World Series Championship Series in 2015. Buddy was a big part of it, and now, he’s instrumental to the Gators' success as they continue their march towards the end of the regular season and the postseason.
He’s hitting .303, has 44 hits and he leads the team with 18 stolen bases and 36 runs scored.
Not bad for a guy who has only taken the sport seriously for the last five or six years.
Buddy was given a shot to prove himself when he was discovered by the Florida coaching staff.
He wants that to be an element of the legacy he leaves once he’s no longer chasing fly balls at McKethan Stadium, instead doing the same thing at the professional level.
"I just want to be remembered as a leader, one of the best to come to the University of Florida," he said.
"Hopefully the best center fielder, but to be the best teammate and the best person that’s come through here and show, even no matter where you start from, everybody can get a opportunity."
Contact Luis Torres at ltorres@alligator.org and you can follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.
Buddy Reed celebrates after hitting a home run during Florida's 7-5 win over Missouri on March 20, 2016, at McKethan Stadium.
