CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia University baseball coach Greg Van Zant still uses Jeremy Cummings as an example for his teams.

"The story I relate to our players a lot was how tough he was,'' Van Zant said of Cummings. "He was just a competitor. He had a thick skin and didn't let any adversity bother him.

"He always seemed to have that way of focusing on the task at hand and not focus on things he had no control over. He would never give in.''

Cummings has needed every ounce of perseverance to survive the past 10 seasons in the minor leagues. The former South Charleston High and West Virginia University pitcher has never received a call-up to the major leagues, but he finally caught a break this summer.

It wasn't the call that Cummings had been anticipating his whole career, but it'll do. He was informed July 21 that he had earned a roster spot on the U.S. Olympic baseball team, but that didn't come easy either.

It took a call-up to the majors of another player before Cummings was finally added to the Team USA roster. Originally, Cummings wasn't among the 23 players named to the 24-man roster when it was announced July 16.

It doesn't matter now. Cummings received his Team USA uniform this past week in San Jose, Calif., and has a seat on the plane Tuesday as it heads to the Beijing Olympics with a lifetime of memories waiting to be made. Cummings made his debut with Team USA Friday in an exhibition game against Canada in Cary, N.C.

Cummings, 31, told his family this would be his last season in pro baseball.

And who could blame him? After giving his all, he never earned a spot on any major league team's 40-man roster. And he spent four seasons pitching in the winter league in Venezuela, failing to give his arm proper rest, just to make ends meet.

Then he was cut by the Toronto Blue Jays on Easter Sunday, forcing him to travel to Taiwan in May in search of a job, leaving behind his pregnant wife Kelly, a third-year medical student at Marshall.

But the pieces finally started to fall into place for Cummings. The Tampa Bay Rays signed him to a free-agent contract and he was assigned to the Class AAA Durham Bulls. He pitched well enough to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game. 

Now, in just a few short days, Cummings' whirlwind summer tour will take him to Beijing, where he will walk shoulder-to-shoulder with other U.S. Olympians behind the American flag into National Stadium for the opening ceremonies.

"He's always popped back,'' said Bambi Slack, Cummings' mother. "He was just determined.''

Maybe he never will fulfill his boyhood dream of walking onto a major league mound, but Cummings will still have some special stories, maybe even Olympic glory, to share with his son or daughter some day.

"To me, this is bigger than the big leagues,'' Cummings said.

Like most American boys, Cummings dreamed of growing up and playing baseball.

"From the time he could walk he had a baseball in his hand,'' said Slack. "He was never interested in little trucks or anything.

"I remember him learning his curveball when he was probably 9 years old. He'd get out in the yard for hours. [Stepfather] Jeffrey [Slack] and he would practice for hours. Whoever would catch him, anybody he could find. He gave a couple of black eyes to his friends.''

Cummings steadily progressed through the South Charleston Little League and American Legion programs with South Charleston Post 94 and the Huntington Patriots.

"He's dedicated his whole life to ball,'' Slack said. "He would go play doubleheaders for American Legion, then he would head off to basketball practice. Sometimes he was doing two different teams at the same time. He was always at a ballgame.''

Bambi and Jeffrey Slack and Cummings' sisters, Megan and Heather, rarely took summer vacations because Cummings was always playing baseball somewhere. Even Cummings' high school graduation took place on a diamond - at Watt Powell Park - because his SC team was competing in the state tournament.

"We gave up a lot of family vacations because he was always in some kind of all-stars,'' said Bambi Slack. "We always just went to his ballgames [and] supported him. Just a lot of time, but I'd do it again in a minute.''

Roger Chambers could tell right away Cummings was special.

"He was just really a treat to coach as a little kid because he just wanted it,'' said Chambers, who taught Cummings how to pitch in the South Charleston Little League.

"We had tremendous kids come through the program. They all had good college careers, but Jeremy had a little extra. He had baseball saavy about him. Even when he was little he had the right tools.''

Chambers said Cummings mixed his God-given ability with hard work to reach his goals.

"He was easy to work with,'' said the former coach. "He was a hard worker. He always had that motivation. He was the first one at practice [and] he wanted to practice more. He's always been special.''

Chambers said by the time Cummings began playing American Legion ball as a 16-year-old he was in control on the mound. 

"Everything just really fell into place for him there,'' said Chambers. "He was totally in control. He'd call his own game. He was our stud. He's never been overpowering, but he always had a way of getting you out.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia University baseball coach Greg Van Zant still uses Jeremy Cummings as an example for his teams.

"The story I relate to our players a lot was how tough he was,'' Van Zant said of Cummings. "He was just a competitor. He had a thick skin and didn't let any adversity bother him.

"He always seemed to have that way of focusing on the task at hand and not focus on things he had no control over. He would never give in.''

Cummings has needed every ounce of perseverance to survive the past 10 seasons in the minor leagues. The former South Charleston High and West Virginia University pitcher has never received a call-up to the major leagues, but he finally caught a break this summer.

It wasn't the call that Cummings had been anticipating his whole career, but it'll do. He was informed July 21 that he had earned a roster spot on the U.S. Olympic baseball team, but that didn't come easy either.

It took a call-up to the majors of another player before Cummings was finally added to the Team USA roster. Originally, Cummings wasn't among the 23 players named to the 24-man roster when it was announced July 16.

It doesn't matter now. Cummings received his Team USA uniform this past week in San Jose, Calif., and has a seat on the plane Tuesday as it heads to the Beijing Olympics with a lifetime of memories waiting to be made. Cummings made his debut with Team USA Friday in an exhibition game against Canada in Cary, N.C.

Cummings, 31, told his family this would be his last season in pro baseball.

And who could blame him? After giving his all, he never earned a spot on any major league team's 40-man roster. And he spent four seasons pitching in the winter league in Venezuela, failing to give his arm proper rest, just to make ends meet.

Then he was cut by the Toronto Blue Jays on Easter Sunday, forcing him to travel to Taiwan in May in search of a job, leaving behind his pregnant wife Kelly, a third-year medical student at Marshall.

But the pieces finally started to fall into place for Cummings. The Tampa Bay Rays signed him to a free-agent contract and he was assigned to the Class AAA Durham Bulls. He pitched well enough to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game. 

Now, in just a few short days, Cummings' whirlwind summer tour will take him to Beijing, where he will walk shoulder-to-shoulder with other U.S. Olympians behind the American flag into National Stadium for the opening ceremonies.

"He's always popped back,'' said Bambi Slack, Cummings' mother. "He was just determined.''

Maybe he never will fulfill his boyhood dream of walking onto a major league mound, but Cummings will still have some special stories, maybe even Olympic glory, to share with his son or daughter some day.

"To me, this is bigger than the big leagues,'' Cummings said.

Like most American boys, Cummings dreamed of growing up and playing baseball.

"From the time he could walk he had a baseball in his hand,'' said Slack. "He was never interested in little trucks or anything.

"I remember him learning his curveball when he was probably 9 years old. He'd get out in the yard for hours. [Stepfather] Jeffrey [Slack] and he would practice for hours. Whoever would catch him, anybody he could find. He gave a couple of black eyes to his friends.''

Cummings steadily progressed through the South Charleston Little League and American Legion programs with South Charleston Post 94 and the Huntington Patriots.

"He's dedicated his whole life to ball,'' Slack said. "He would go play doubleheaders for American Legion, then he would head off to basketball practice. Sometimes he was doing two different teams at the same time. He was always at a ballgame.''

Bambi and Jeffrey Slack and Cummings' sisters, Megan and Heather, rarely took summer vacations because Cummings was always playing baseball somewhere. Even Cummings' high school graduation took place on a diamond - at Watt Powell Park - because his SC team was competing in the state tournament.

"We gave up a lot of family vacations because he was always in some kind of all-stars,'' said Bambi Slack. "We always just went to his ballgames [and] supported him. Just a lot of time, but I'd do it again in a minute.''

Roger Chambers could tell right away Cummings was special.

"He was just really a treat to coach as a little kid because he just wanted it,'' said Chambers, who taught Cummings how to pitch in the South Charleston Little League.

"We had tremendous kids come through the program. They all had good college careers, but Jeremy had a little extra. He had baseball saavy about him. Even when he was little he had the right tools.''

Chambers said Cummings mixed his God-given ability with hard work to reach his goals.

"He was easy to work with,'' said the former coach. "He was a hard worker. He always had that motivation. He was the first one at practice [and] he wanted to practice more. He's always been special.''

Chambers said by the time Cummings began playing American Legion ball as a 16-year-old he was in control on the mound. 

"Everything just really fell into place for him there,'' said Chambers. "He was totally in control. He'd call his own game. He was our stud. He's never been overpowering, but he always had a way of getting you out.

"If there was anything he lacked in ability he made up for it in effort. He never had the blazing fastball, but Jeremy developed other weapons. He's always been an off-speed control-type pitcher. His off-speed is what picks people apart. He's honed his ability.''

Steve Crosier, Cummings' high school coach from 1993-1995 at SC, said Cummings' competitive nature set him apart.

"That stood out more than anything, just his belief in himself,'' Crosier said. "If you have a hard drill, he's going to gut through it. If you have a morning practice, he's going to be there.''

Cummings went on to a stellar four-year career at WVU, where he finished as the school's career leader in appearances (58), ranks seventh in innings pitched (2251/3) and ninth in strikeouts (211).

"He came to us with flawless, pure pitching mechanics,'' recalled Van Zant. "If I were going to teach pitching mechanics to a bunch of youngsters, I'd want Jeremy out there.

"We definitely saw improvement because he worked hard. He was an extremely tough competitor. When he got up on that mound there wasn't a tougher competitor. He worked hard and always wanted the ball.''

The Mountaineers were facing elimination in the 1996 NCAA regional and they turned to Cummings, a freshman, to make the start.

 "We did have a lot of confidence in him,'' said Van Zant. "Jeremy just competed so hard.'' 

Cummings felt as if he was on his way after the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the 21st round of the June amateur draft in 1999. He was named the organization's pitcher of the month for July.

Then the next season Cummings was sidelined with Tommy John surgery, ligament replacement on his right elbow. After 11 months of rehabilitation, he was on the road again to his major league dream.

Cummings led the Cardinals' minor-leaguers in victories with 15 in 2003 and made the Southern League All-Star team in 2004. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander posted a 12-4 record with a 3.76 earned run average in 2005 and fired a no-hitter for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate, in 2006.

So far this year he has posted a 7-3 record with a 2.92 earned run average. In 10 seasons in the minor leagues, including the last four in Triple-A, he owns a 68-55 mark.

After getting released from the Blue Jays in April, Cummings had some decisions to make.

"I figured I'd get a job pretty quick and it didn't happen,'' he said. "[I] waited three weeks and the only job offers I had was independent ball or go to Taiwan, so I chose to go to Taiwan.

"I needed the money. It was a tough choice to go over there, but once I sat down with the wife and talked to her about it she put me at ease. She said it's something we have to do financially, so go. It was a strain on our relationship, but I had to pay bills. It definitely paid off.''

Cummings has had close brushes with stardom, thinking on four different occasions that he was going to "The Show.''

"For the most part I was pitching well enough to keep moving up,'' he said. "I had some success. Motivation was thinking I was going to get to the big leagues soon. I just kept playing and working hard in the off-season.

"Coming out of college I really didn't know how it worked. [I thought] if I pitched well for one or two years I'd be in the big leagues, but that's not how it works. The only thing I can do is put myself in the best situation to make [the team] have to call my name.''

Crosier, who worked five seasons as a strength and conditioning coach in the New York Mets organization, said Cummings has been caught in a numbers game.

"Where you're drafted and how much money they've got in you is how you're going to be treated and how you move up,'' Crosier said. "So much of it's economics. The whole key is perseverance.

"Basically you can either give up or fight the fight. There's a lot of guys with his ability that wouldn't even be playing right now. He's a good guy, a humble guy, and those are the guys you root for. For him to do this for 10 years and there not be any guarantee, that's how tough he is.''

Crosier said there is no doubt Cummings is ready for the big leagues. It's just a matter of getting a break.

"He's got big-league stuff,'' Crosier said. "He throws right at 90 mph [and] that's plenty good enough to get guys out. I watched him throw an inning in that [AAA] All-Star Game, shoot, he's got a big-league change-up [and] everything else is there. Jeremy's polished. He can get big-league hitters out. Somebody needs to take a chance on him.''

Cummings said he credits his longevity to the quality instruction he received in the Kanawha Valley. He pointed to Chambers, Crosier, Dave Potter, John Wiseman and West Virginia State coaches Cal Bailey and Sean Loyd as those who have had a positive impact on his career.

"They teach the game the right way,'' Cummings said. "They teach fundamentals and they teach hard work.''

Cummings said he will earn his bachelor's degree in marketing in December. If he decides to retire from baseball, he plans on pursuing his master's degree.

"You never get anywhere without hard work,'' he said.

Reach Tommy R. Atkinson at 348-4811 or tatkin...@wvgazette.com.