David J. Phillip / AP

Then in 2010, Gattis had finally found what he was looking for. As he told USA Today, "It cleared up in kind of a final way where, without a shadow of a doubt, I just knew I didn’t have to do that anymore.”

Re-energized, Gattis returned to baseball, playing one season at the University of Texas-Permian Basin, joining his step-brother — a pitcher for the team.