VALDOSTA — Playing postseason baseball into early May, followed by football workouts and a spring game, next week it’s back to the diamond for summer ball. The two-sport athlete never rests.

For a lot of athletes, the combination of dedicating a chunk of their time to one sport while maintaining their grades in the classroom is challenge enough. But for a handful of athletes at Valdosta High, and an increasing number of athletes around the country, the challenge only intensifies when adding another sport to the load.

“The biggest thing is, with those two sports (baseball and football), you’re occupied the entire year,” said Valdosta baseball head coach Bart Shuman. “You may get a couple weeks off during December where there won’t be any activities, and then you have one week during July, the first week of July, which is the Georgia High School Association dead week.

“So it is definitely a grind year-round in order to play, especially baseball and football, and I’m sure basketball would be the same.”

A grind is the perfect way to describe the lives of the two-sport athlete.

Although gone are the days of full contact practices every day of summer from dusk till dawn, the average football season still tests the will of its athletes with early morning film sessions and workouts in extreme heat. To some extent, the offseason is necessary to recover both physically and mentally, but some athletes don’t have that luxury.

“The discipline it takes in order to do that, the athlete has really got to, it’s got to be an important part of his life,” Bart Shuman said. “It’s their hobby, it’s their want-to. That’s what they want to do. Just the the discipline and commitment it takes to do two sports is just so demanding. Physically and mentally.”

Besides playing at least one sport pretty much at all times, there are a few times a year where those that play football and baseball have to juggle both sports on a daily basis.

This spring, seven players: Seth Shuman, Wesley Veal, Jacob McMillan, Luke Ard, Bo Rodemaker, Dustin Doscher, and Tayte Barry, have worked day and night in preparation of roles on both the varsity football and baseball teams.

“We’ve got workouts in the mornings and then come out (to baseball) after football workouts,” said Shuman, who is set to enter the 2015-2016 season as both Valdosta’s starting quarterback as well as the ace of the Wildcats’ pitching staff. “It’s tough. We’re sore from weight-lifting and all, but it’s good for us. I think it gets us mentally ready for next football season and next baseball season.”

Shuman threw 61 innings on the mound for Valdosta, striking out 71 batters while issuing just 14 walks; good for a 2.21 ERA. He was also adept with the bat, hitting for a .272 average in 92 at-bats, scoring 23 runs and driving in 26 RBIs. The rising senior put up those numbers just three months after completing 67-of-144 passes for 825 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions splitting time with Cole Massingill — who also played baseball his senior year — as signal caller for the ‘Cats offense.

“It’s definitely a transition,” said McMillan, a pitcher on the baseball team, and one of the quarterbacks behind Shuman on the depth chart. “You go from working out in the mornings, weight-lifting, running, conditioning, then you’ve got come out (to baseball) two or three hours a day. It can be tough, but with the athletes we have, it’s definitely possible.”

Making the transition between sports work is a challenging task, but the burden on the athlete can be lessened in an environment where all the players and coaches are on the same page. Valdosta provides that environment for its athletes.

“Well, we’re fortunate that our coaches work well together with our athletes,” Bart Shuman said. “If an athlete is making that transition, our football coaches work really well with giving them some arm time.

“Like, we got beat on Thursday, and our kids were on the practice field Friday and Saturday for football. And again, it was primarily their choice, they wanted to be there, and it says a lot for the kind of young men they are.”

While attempting to balance the development of football and baseball related skills can be difficult, there is something to be said about the training in one sport helping another.

From a story posted on USAFootball.com about the subject: “USA Football encourages young athletes to play multiple sports. According to medical experts, taking part in a variety of activities — whether structured or not — leads to greater skill and muscle development.”

Comments from the players lend credence to that statement.

“Some times it’s good to throw a lot,” Shuman said. “I think throwing the football gets my arm stronger for baseball, but some times you have to manage it a little bit, because I’m throwing so much. But, it’s good for me.”

McMillan added: “When you’re throwing football, as a pitcher, it definitely strengthens my arm. It definitely adds more velocity to it, and it also adds some pop to your bat.”

The positive benefits of playing both sports isn’t limited to pitchers either. Veal saw time in the infield and the outfield during the baseball season, scoring five runs in a role as a pinch-runner, and on top of entering his junior season with more responsibility on the diamond, he’s also set to enter the season as one of Valdosta’s top wide receivers after the loss of Rico Ramsey and Craig Barry.

“When I chase down footballs that Seth throws to me, it kind of resembles chasing down a fly ball,” Veal said. “That helps me out in reading balls in both sports.”

Still, for Shuman, quarterback is viewed as one of the most cerebral positions in any sport. As the leader of the offense, it’s imperative that Shuman knows not only how his own position functions, but also how every position on the offense functions as well, and that means a lot of time on the field and in the film room.

“We’re out there from about 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and some times we’ll meet after practice,” Shuman said. “Coach (Gillespie) does a real good job of coaching us up. He’s a really good coach. I just come out here after practice and have fun with my teammates.”

Luckily for Shuman, he’s got time to hone his craft on the gridiron, because he already feels right at home on the diamond.

“Baseball just comes natural,” he said.