AUGUSTA, Ga - It's never easy for a student to balance classwork and athletics. For Augusta University baseball player Mike Morrison, he's excelled at both and now is about to graduate with a Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies.
 
Morrison made stops at Erskine College and Louisburg Junior College before landing in Augusta three years ago. He initially earned his undergraduate degree in criminal justice, and the MAISS program was the next step in his career path.
 
He wouldn't have changed a thing when it came to choosing AU for both academics and athletics. Morrison said he's grown more in the last three years in Augusta than he has anywhere else and admits it will be hard to leave.
 
"I think this place is super accommodating for a student athlete and I think the way they go about everything, like the MAISS program, it is just amazing. I couldn't have picked a better place," said Morrison.
 
He also knows exactly what he wants to do following graduation.
 
"I want to do something cyber, military operations. I want to be a counter terrorism security analyst of sorts. I love counter terrorism and protection of everything. That's my passion outside of baseball," said Morrison.
 
Since some of his professors in the MAISS program were also his instructors during his undergraduate work, they already knew he played baseball and was a student-athlete. He said they've always been aware of his situation and were accommodating when his busy athletic schedule conflicted with class. He learned how to balance it all and does whatever it takes to be successful in his academic life, knowing that's where his future lies.
 
"I just manage my time and make sure I am getting everything done regardless of what it takes," said Morrison. "We're coming back late (from a game) on a bus, and I'm just grinding it out while everybody else is asleep, and stuff like that. That's what it took to get this point. And a lot of grace and mercy by my professors because they were super accommodating and accepting of all the assignments."
 
 
What Morrison is doing can be tough to digest for someone outside of his world. He said he recently had a conversation about just that, and when he mentioned the word "cybersecurity," many people - including some of his teammates - usually don't want to talk to him about it because they don't understand it.
 
He does have roommates who are information systems majors, so they understand, but many others shy away from the security intelligence part because of its complexity. What his friends do understand is the amount of work Morrison puts into it.
 
Even with his family, Morrison said he has to dumb it down a little bit, but they are super supportive and love what he's doing.
 
Morrison has had a standout career on the baseball diamond with the Jaguars and wants to finish the season strong. If you watch him play, you can see his dedication and determination on the field.
 
He also recognized early that going into the cyber security field will pay off for him after he steps away from the baseball field.
 
"Job security was massive for me," said Morrison. "I knew there were jobs open and the fact that I knew I could perform those jobs which is an awesome feeling. A lot of what I'm doing now, dealing with cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, it means that I will never not have a job because that's always super important."