Former Hoosier, MLB Pitcher Dunning Taking Advantage of IU's "Lifetime Degree Guarantee"
10/16/2018 1:38:00 PM | Baseball, General, Student-Athlete Services
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Bloomington, Ind. – Former Indiana Baseball standout and Major League Baseball pitcher Jake Dunning is back in Bloomington.
His return, though, isn't about sharing his experiences from a nine-year professional baseball career that included multiple big-league stints with the San Francisco Giants in 2013 and 2014.
So why is he back in Bloomington?
The 30-year-old native of Orange Park, Fla., is back in an Indiana University classroom, taking the necessary courses to complete his bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies.
"It's always been a goal of mine, something I wanted to do," Dunning said. "That's basically the main reason I came to IU in the first place, to get the degree."
It's an opportunity made possible thanks to IU's ground-breaking Student-Athlete Bill of Rights, and specifically the Lifetime Degree Guarantee, which allows former Hoosier student-athletes who left IU early to return and complete their undergraduate degrees, paid in full by IU Athletics.
In Dunning's case, he left Bloomington after his junior season, following his selection in the 33rd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Drafted by the San Francisco Giants as a shortstop (which is where he played at IU), Dunning made the transition to pitcher early on, making his first appearance in the major leagues in 2013.
While he was fulfilling his childhood dream of playing in the major leagues, he never gave up on the idea of returning to school to finish his degree. What he didn't know, though, was that the opportunity would be there for him to do it for free.
IU's Student-Athlete Bill of Rights, which was the creation of Indiana University Director of Athletics Fred Glass, wasn't in place when Dunning was at IU. But Dunning learned about the ground-breaking and unique commitment to former student-athletes through social media, and began to give serious thought to returning to school.
He discussed the possibility with many of his professional baseball teammates, all of whom were surprised by the opportunity that IU afforded its former students who competed in intercollegiate athletics.
"Everyone I talked to was astounded by (the Lifetime Degree Guarantee)," Dunning said. "They were all like, 'Wow. Really? IU has something like that? I've never heard of another school having a program like that.'"
But Indiana does, and Dunning is taking advantage of it. After learning about the opportunity, he reached out to both IU Senior Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Gray and Director of Academic Services Daniel Woodside to finalize his plans, and he moved to Bloomington this fall and enrolled in classes.
Dunning is on pace to earn his IU degree in the spring of 2019.
He admits that the return to the classroom following a nearly 10-year absence was difficult, in large part because of the age disparity with other IU undergraduates.
"They all look like babies," Dunning said. "I kind of blend in because I have that baby face look a little bit. But you can distinctly say I'm a little older than the college kids here. It took a little adjusting the first couple of weeks, but I feel good about it."
Dunning is fitting in, although a few of his classmates have learned some of the details about his background as a professional baseball player. Google has afforded them the chance to find out about a professional career and opportunity that Dunning says was a dream come true.
"It's what every baseball player dreams of – everyone wants to make it (to the majors)," Dunning said. "It's everything you wanted, everything you worked for. I've had such a great experience through the game of baseball. I can't say enough about the people who have helped me throughout it."
After starring at IU as a shortstop, Dunning was drafted to play that same position by the Giants in 2009. But he struggled offensively early on in the minors, admitting that his affinity for swinging at sliders in the dirt was his undoing at the plate. But in an odd twist of fate, he asked to pitch bullpen sessions when he learned he was being assigned to extended spring training early on in his pro career. From there he went to the Cape Cod League, where he pitched well enough to be assigned to the Giants Single-A minor league affiliate.
After minor league stops with Salem-Keizer, San Jose and Richmond, Dunning was called up to the majors on June 14, 2013, and made his major league debut with the Giants two days later - on Father's Day.
"That was special, to make my debut on Father's Day with my dad in the crowd and my mom and family along with my now-wife, it was unbelievable," Dunning said.
Dunning pitched the final inning of a 3-0 Giants loss to the Braves that day, allowing one hit and no runs. He went on to pitch in 29 games that season, compiling a 2.84 ERA in 25.1 innings. He pitched in another game with the Giants in 2014, and owns a career 2.77 ERA in 26 innings.
"I got to play in an amazing city in San Francisco," Dunning said. "They were doing really well then and winning, and it was a great atmosphere. I'll never forget that, the electric crowd, the people."
Since 2015, Dunning has bounced around the minor leagues, primarily at the AA and AAA levels. Early on in 2017 he spent time with the Chicago White Sox organization, before spending the latter half of the 2017 season and all of 2018 playing with the Long Island Ducks in the Independent League.
While the 2018 season was unfolding, Dunning was also finalizing his plans for his return to Bloomington to complete his degree. Among the things he wanted to do upon his return was to sit down with Glass, the person behind IU's Lifetime Degree Guarantee program.
"It was important for me to meet with Mr. Glass because I wanted to personally say thank you," Dunning said. "This is such a tremendous opportunity that IU offers, and I'm grateful to be a part of it. I wanted to show my appreciation to the person who made my return to do this possible."