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The King of JUCO: How a former Salem-Keizer
Volcanoes player became a social media sensation
Eric Sim, aka The King of JUCO, has built a substantial social media following over the last year.
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Lift big, throw gas, hit bombs.
That is the motto of former Salem-
Keizer Volcanoes player Eric Sim.
While the mantra never got him to the
big leagues, it did help him create a
popular brand and gave him a cult-like
following on social media.
The “King of JUCO” has over 60,000
followers on YouTube and more than
40,000 followers on Twitter. Whether
it's doing live at-bats against current
big-leaguers, or creating his 95-or-die
challenge, Sim is having a blast with
the content he is able to create.
“It has been an amazing ride. I am
just having fun with it. It's just about
being diff erent,” Sim said.
Sim grew up in South Korea
before moving to Canada at the age
of 13. Although he didn't know much
English, Sim fell in love with the game
of baseball.
“I just loved the training and truly
progressing and getting better at what
I do,” Sim said.
Sim had the desire to play after high
school, but didn't have any initial colle-
giate off ers. Eventually, he signed with
Colby Community College in Kansas.
“It was in the middle of nowhere. It
was about learning and growing as fast
as you can so you could move forward,”
Sim said.
Sim says that his two years at Colby
were the most fun he's had ever had
playing baseball, and it gave him a pas-
sion to be an advocate and supporter
for junior college baseball, also known
as JUCO, players.
Sim coined the term “JUCO Bandit”
as someone who is a high-quality junior
college baseball player that grinds to
Submitted photo
improve so they can transfer to a four-
year school. The term has gained pop-
ularity amongst community college
players throughout the country.
“People used to play JUCO because
they had to. They didn't have any other
options. It has been crazy to see how
far it has come with kids actually want-
ing to be JUCO Bandits instead of
going to a four-year school right away,”
Sim said.
When a former junior college player
called him “The King of JUCO,” Sim
ran with the new nickname — which is
what he named his website, as well as
his social media sites.
“Some jabroni just said that one time
and it just stuck. I changed my Twitter
handle and it has been a big part of my
brand ever since,” Sim said.
After a successful career at Colby,
Sim received a scholarship to play
his fi nal two seasons at South Florida
See JUCO, page A23
SPORTS