Creighton psychologist explains CWS pressure and anxiety

Creighton athletic psychologist Dr. Julie Spencer explains how players and fans can manage anxiety during the high-pressure of the College World Series.

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Creighton athletic psychologist Dr. Julie Spencer explains how players and fans can manage anxiety during the high-pressure of the College World Series.

OMAHA, Neb. —

The College World Series is the biggest stage in college baseball, bringing high-pressure situations for players, coaches, and fans alike.

“Everybody has some baseline anxiety going in,” said Dr. Julie Spencer, Creighton athletic psychologist.

Spencer noted that many players face unique challenges at this level. “They’ve never played in front of a crowd like this. They’ve never played in a game that’s this televised. So even thinking developmentally, who might need more support,” she said.

She explained that anxiety often accompanies the leap to this stage, and the mental game becomes just as important as the physical one.

“The instinct is to just not talk about it, just push through or to just avoid,” Spencer said. “The brain needs things acknowledged. Players need to hear their coaches acknowledge, ‘Yeah, yeah, this is a high-pressure situation.'”

Spencer emphasized that recognizing the pressure is only the first step and highlighted the importance of deep breathing as a tool to manage anxiety.

“To be able to settle our body, to remove or release some of that muscle tension, and give our brains that half-second break often brings people a lot of clarity and a lot of calm,” Spencer said.

She added that breathwork can also help fans. “They can do that reset if they need to, too. I will say the fans that yell [are] probably not helping too much. You’re not going to change the ump’s call,” Spencer said. “A fan is there for the ride. They’re there for the moment.”

Spencer encouraged players and fans to view anxiety as a natural part of the process rather than an obstacle.

“Anxiety is not a bad thing. Anxiety means that you care a lot about what you’re doing. It means that it matters to you. It means that you’ve worked really, really hard and you want something really, really great out of this,” Spencer said.