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FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) — After working hard to further his baseball career to the minors of Major League Baseball, David DeMoss made a decision to switch gears and head to law school.
A native of Monongah, DeMoss started playing baseball at a young age. At 9 years old, DeMoss played in the Monongah Fringe Little League, eventually going to North Marion High School where he took to the baseball diamond from 1986-89.
As a left-hander playing center field, his senior year of high school led to several accolades, including being named Class AAA All-State captain, West Virginia Sports Writers Player of the Year and the West Virginia Gatorade State Player of the Year.
"I had a good senior year, and I was lucky enough to receive some of the highest awards," DeMoss said.
His time as a Husky was so good that DeMoss was drafted out of high school in the 13th round by the Chicago Cubs. But wanting to go to college, DeMoss didn't sign with the team.
After receiving several Division I offers to play collegiate baseball, DeMoss chose to attend West?Virginia University and play for the late Dale Ramsburg, who was head coach at the time.
"I had a good relationship with (Ramsburg). He was a very nice gentleman, and that was probably one of the leading factors in me choosing WVU," DeMoss said.
While at WVU, DeMoss was enrolled in the business and economic program and majored in marketing.
After playing three seasons with the Mountaineers, in 1992 DeMoss was drafted in the 14th round, again by the Chicago Cubs. This time, DeMoss made his move to the next level and signed with the team.
From there, the 21-year-old headed to training camp in Mesa, Arizona. He would spend two spring training seasons there.
After his first camp in Arizona, DeMoss began playing in Geneva, New York, for the Geneva Cubs, a Single-A program in the minors of Major League Baseball (MLB). The team was part of the New York Penn League, the same league that Morgantown's West Virginia Black Bears are now a part of.
In his first year, DeMoss helped the team to a New York Penn League Championship in 1992.
The following year, DeMoss returned to Geneva for his second season in the minors. During his time with the team, DeMoss was released.
"I didn't finish the season," DeMoss said. "That's just part of professional sports."
Following his release, DeMoss had an opportunity to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers but chose not to.
"I figured then it was time to quit," he said. "I didn't see, other than a few more years in the minors, a career there."
After working hard his whole life toward a professional baseball career, DeMoss came to the reality of thinking he would never make it to the major leagues.
"When you go through your career with the goal of reaching the top and the harsh reality sets in that you're unable to do that ... it's very frustrating," DeMoss said.
As his baseball career came to a close, DeMoss made a transition back to college, but this time it was different. Instead of being a student-athlete, he attended WVU in 1994 as a student. DeMoss graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a marketing major.
DeMoss then looked for full-time jobs in his field but would eventually find out that it wasn't the career path he wanted. That's when he turned to law school, attending Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, from 1996-98.
Being in school without athletics, though, was something new for DeMoss. He said it wasn't a depressing transition, but he had to focus his attention on something other than baseball for the first time.
"There was a point where I had to refocus," DeMoss said. "I had to sit down and decide what I was going to do next, and saw everything from a different prospective."
Although he changed his career goals from playing professional baseball to becoming a lawyer, DeMoss continued to keep an interest in the sport by helping coach the Fairmont Legion team in the late 1990s during the summer. In 1996, the team was a state champion and was one game away from the national tournament.
After coaching for a bit and going to law school, DeMoss returned to Marion County as an assistant prosecuting attorney. He then went back to Ohio and joined a law firm for two years.
DeMoss would then get into private practice as an attorney in Fairmont. He now focuses on mostly domestic cases, but also has his hands in criminal and civil cases.
When he gets the opportunity to be part of a trial, DeMoss' competitive spirit comes out.
"In sports you competed and there was a winner and a loser," he said. "Trials are similar, with one side competing against the other and a jury deciding who wins. That's enjoyable for me."
Even though he has transitioned out of being a baseball player, DeMoss' sports career made an impact on him that he'll never forget. From bonding during bus rides and seeing other cities and countries to learning respect and hard work, he said there are many attributes he has because of sports that help him in his law career.
"In my opinion, sports always carry over to the workplace," DeMoss said.
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