Cole Collins fully admits he may not be the tallest or most talented baseball player on the planet.

Good luck, however, finding a young man with more heart.

After four fruitful years at Cullman High and another two at nearby Wallace State, Collins is receiving the opportunity to put his drive and determination on full display at the Division I level. UAB landed Collins’ commitment last Thursday, ending a rollercoaster recruiting ride and simultaneously allowing the 20-year-old to realize a lifelong dream.

“I’ve always wanted to play Division I baseball,” he said. “I felt that I’ve played good enough over the past six years, since ninth grade at Cullman, that I felt I deserved it. I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to play at UAB, and I’m so excited about it.”

Despite consistently impressive stats since bursting onto the varsity scene with the Bearcats, Collins has often been overlooked compared to other college prospects with similar resumes — perhaps because of his smaller stature (he says he’s 5-8 or 5-9) or maybe because of the multiple surgeries he’s had on his throwing arm.

Be that as it may, Collins has never allowed outside perception to alter how he approaches the game, and he doesn’t plan on starting now.

“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I think if it did, then I wouldn’t be very successful (laughs). It’s probably made me better, honestly, playing with a chip on my shoulder. God’s blessed me with a lot of ability, but God didn’t bless me with some of the ability that Owen Lovell or Jacob (Heatherly) has. But I guess He blessed me with a lot of heart. I would take that over ability any day, because maybe the heart makes other players around you better, too.”

Collins’ final decision came down to UAB, Murray State and Appalachian State. He also had a walk-on offer from Troy and more than a dozen offers — some full ride — from schools at the D-II level or lower.

In the end, though, Collins ultimately went with the Blazers because of his familiarity with their coaching staff and program. Even before Collins knew exactly where he was going to commit, he said longtime UAB baseball coach Brian Shoop prayed with him over the phone in hopes the recruit would find his perfect destination.

For coach and player, that prayer has been answered.

“That’s one thing that went into my choice,” Collins said. “I wouldn’t know what I was going to get at Appalachian State or Murray State. But I know a lot about coach Shoop and coach (Perry) Roth and all their coaches to know that’s where I wanted to go.”

Collins said he’ll likely be an outfielder at UAB, though same as his time at Wallace State, he’ll be happy to play wherever needed. The Blazers were 24-31 this most recent spring, their second straight losing season.

“I’d like to get them back on track,” Collins said. “I’m looking forward to doing all I can as a player and hopefully as a leader to get us back to winning. That’s all you can want to do.”

Collins capped off his final campaign with Wallace State with three home runs, a .341 batting average and 46 runs heading into the conference tournament. The Lions finished the year 46-13 and won the Alabama Community College Conference North Division for the 1st time since 2009.

Collins’ sendoff at Cullman High in 2015 was even sweeter, punctuated by the program’s first state title since 2009, Class 6A Hitter of the Year honors, and Super All-State and MaxPreps All-American selections.

More than any accolade, however, Collins cherishes the memories he’s made and the coaches — Wallace State’s Randy Putman and Cullman’s Brent Patterson — he’s had along the way.

Putman also coached Collins’ dad, Jimmy, a factoid both Collins men are proud to share. The younger Collins doesn’t hesitate calling Putman the “best junior college coach in the nation.”

As for his time with the Bearcats, Collins said he was fortunate to play for a man like Patterson whose focus is on instilling life lessons just as much as it is on winning.

“Besides my parents and grandparents, coach Putman and coach Patterson are the two biggest influences I’ve had,” said Collins, who plans to major in business marketing at UAB with hopes of opening a small business in Cullman after graduation. “I’ve been very, very blessed to play for two guys like that. And their assistant coaches, too. Chad Shannon. Jeremy Peek. Coach (Jonathan) Romine. Coach (Shannon) Fondren. I love all of them. I’ve never had a coach I didn’t like.”