Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Hi there and welcome everyone to Awareness, the podcast fostering a more compassionate, empathetic and accepting society.
Yours truly, Rob Daniels with you here for episode number 22. So Jacked for this one because we're into baseball mode here. Baseball mode, huge. When it, whether it's the ibl, the Intercounty Baseball League, Major League Baseball, college baseball, it's just so exciting because you got college baseball starting up and you've got playoffs for MLB and such. So it's going to be a great baseball chat that I hope you hang around here for today. If you're a big baseball fan, you're not going to want to miss this. If you're a big fan of mental health, you're not going to want to miss this because it's correlating the two subjects, baseball and mental health. So we're here for episode number 22. And my very special guest today is 18 year old Canadian baseball standout Austin Boylan. And he recently has headed out to south of the border to North Dakota State University on a baseball scholarship. So it's a huge step for any athlete, of course, and for Austin, it's the next chapter in a journey that started right here at home on Canadian soil. So we're going to talk about his path to this point, from his early days in the sport to playing with the, the Berry Bay Cats this summer and overcoming injuries, and now preparing for life as an NCAA athlete. Austin, thanks so much for joining me and congratulations on this incredible opportunity.
[00:02:09] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you. Thank you for having me.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. I mean, listen, you're just 18 years old and Canadian born. You're at North Dakota State University on this baseball scholarship. It reminds me a lot of myself from like, I feel like I'm interviewing myself almost like from, from 20 years ago or so because I, I never made it as far as you did, but I was in the naia at, at 18 and that's a separate college league in, in the US for anyone listening is not sure what that is. That's the national association of Inter Collegiate Athletics. Did I get that right? Maybe you could.
[00:02:48] Speaker A: I believe so, yeah. Yep. Yeah.
[00:02:49] Speaker B: National association of Inter Collegiate Athletics. NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
So this is a huge milestone for you with your story. What does it mean to you exactly to, to head to the United States to play ball and continue your studies?
[00:03:08] Speaker A: It means a lot. Put in a lot of hard work over the years.
It also means a lot because a lot of kids dream of an opportunity like this, especially from Canada.
Unfortunately, opportunities are limited but yeah, it feels good. I put in the time, put in the effort and stuff like that.
So yeah, it just feels good that I kind of, you know, achieve the dream. But obviously the dreams just beginning, right? It's just beginning. There's still a lot more work to do and. Yeah, because it's just my first fall here, a lot more work to do and the, the main goal is Major League Baseball, but it's pretty cool to achieve the first step. So for sure.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: I mean, was this always the goal for you or did it become real more recently?
[00:03:51] Speaker A: Yeah, no, the goal ever since I started this journey back in Minden, Ontario was go Division one, go to the highest level of collegiate athletics there is.
Yeah, that was always the goal.
You know, as I started to develop, as it started to get better throughout the years of the Ontario Blue Jays, then it started to become more real and then it was kind of not.
Not the dream, I guess. Right. Not fixated on the dream now is more fixated on finding a home and finding a university and finding a coaching staff that really cares, has a great player development system. Um, and yeah, so that's kind of how it shifted. But back to that main question. Yeah, just grateful for the opportunity, obviously.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: So for sure.
And I mean, you've got your friends and family, of course, back home in Ontario all supporting you.
How did they initially react when. When you got the news of this one scholarship?
[00:04:52] Speaker A: Yeah, so it's kind of a funny story.
Basically I just got back from a long trip in the States.
You know, I've been talking to Coach Hunt, which is my coach here at North Dakota State University. He's the one who recruited me. So this was about a year ago now, a year and a half ago now, I was with the Ontario Blue Jays. So just playing throughout the states, just trying to get my name back out there on the map. Unfortunately, I tore my ACL the year prior, so recruiting was halted.
So the main goal in my 17 year season was just, you know, try ball out as best as I can, kind of show everything and kind of show all my skills to all the new coaches. Because kind of what happened was I had about four schools on me pre injury and then after the injury they just all went away. Right, because.
Yep, they all dropped, gone. So it was about just, you know, grinding back, making sure I'm healthy.
But yeah, when, when I got the offer, my family was ecstatic.
You know, we took a day or two, look over the contract, look, look over everything, you know, all that type of stuff. But no, my family's ecstatic for me and, you know, I'm happy and it's a great fit. It's a great fit here, and I'm loving it so far, so I'm so.
[00:06:10] Speaker B: Happy to hear that. And we'll touch on your injury a little more coming up here in this episode. In regards to your academics, though, can you tell me a little bit about that? Like, what program are you planning to take there? Or what are you enrolled in already?
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Yeah, so what I'm enrolled in right now is going to go for a undergraduate degree in sports management, but I'm also doing a minor in psychology. So I'm going to kind of hit two birds with one stone while I'm here.
And then that just opens up multiple opportunities in the sports world, but also opportunities in the psychological kind of world of things with athletes, because I believe a lot in that.
Yeah, so that's kind of what I'm studying here and what I'm focused on.
Got a few classes.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Like you see yourself working in that field after baseball type thing, psychology, or.
Excuse me, what was the other one again? If you just. Sports management.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: So, like up in the office, agent stuff, stuff like that. So anything associated with sports, that's kind of what I'm. I'm after. Right, so.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: So if I don't make it, that's. That's my backup plan. So.
[00:07:19] Speaker B: And is your skipper, like, very adamant about, like. Like, got to get good grades to focus on the academics and.
And baseball that you want to do. He wants you to do just as well in the classroom.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: Do you mean the coaches?
[00:07:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Coaching staff?
[00:07:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. No, 100%. So here we have a lot of.
A lot of people helping student athletes. The school's big, big with student athletes. They help us out a ton.
I'm just starting to get a taste of it. I've only been here about two weeks. Week and a half.
Yeah. But, yeah, so everything's here for us. Obviously, the number one thing is student athlete, so you got to be a student first.
For any kids listening, stuff like that, you got to be a student first. You got to prioritize academics, especially in high school if you're looking to go post secondary.
So, yeah, we need to maintain. I forget what it is, but I think it's like 2.3 GPA, which you obviously want to aim higher than that. Right. You want to aim higher than that.
We have a cool thing here that kind of helps us with tuition. So the higher the grade you get, the more money you get for this. Separate award. I'm not too sure if I'm allowed to go into that, but it's pretty cool stuff, so. So that's kind of what we got going on here, so. But yes, back to that question.
Yep. Coaches are adamant on going to class, getting good grades and trying our hardest. Right. Like, whatever you put on the field, you should be putting in the classroom as well. So we've got numerous team meetings about that and yeah, just starting to see it now.
[00:08:55] Speaker B: So I remember when I was in school out there and yeah, if you did get a good, bad grade, rather the coach would call you up to home plate and you'd be running polls. You guys have stuff like that too?
Physical type detentions, you know, I mean.
[00:09:14] Speaker A: I'm not too sure yet. We've only.
We've only had about four practices so far.
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Right, right.
[00:09:21] Speaker A: But maybe, like, definitely, like, if you're slacking, then obviously they might run you do something like that. I think a few of the seniors said we climb this, like, ladder or something and everyone watches you. So I think that's like the punishment here. I'm not too sure about that yet, but we'll see.
[00:09:37] Speaker B: So any freshman initiations yet?
[00:09:42] Speaker A: Not quite yet.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: There's been a few.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Don't want to go down that road. No, we'll keep it.
[00:09:51] Speaker A: I mean, it's nothing bad. Nothing bad, but just getting the kick of things kind of, you know, as a freshman, you got to learn your place in terms of. I'm gonna speak on. On the field. Right. Like, you got to respect everybody. You gotta. Gotta work, work hard. Right. As soon as you arrive on campus, it's a clean slate. So nothing you did in high school, nothing you did over the summer with your summer ball team matters because it's a new slate. Right. So the opportunity for freshman is the same as the opportunity for the senior. Right. So. Right.
[00:10:21] Speaker B: So, yeah, let's. Let's go back to the beginning. How did Austin Boylan first get into baseball? And what made you fall in love with the game?
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So kind of a funny story.
I grew up in rural Minden, Ontario. It's about, I don't know, 5,000 people roughly, and no baseball. So there's no such thing as like a baseball team there. They had, like, Minden Minors, like, whatever, like soft toss baseball or whatever. I don't know, it was just like a local league.
So basically I was a big hockey guy growing up. I wanted to go to the ohl. I wanted to pursue a major junior hockey career. Uh, that that was the goal.
Um, but then Covid kind of came and I also broke my jaw at the same time. So I broke my jaw in hockey, took a. Took a brutal hit, and then Covet came. Right? So obviously that shut down the ranks. That shut down everything.
So, yeah, in 2020, I. I kind of got bored. Always like to play baseball. Like, I would always, like, bug my mom, bug my dad. Hey, let's go play catch. Let's go play catch. You know what I'm saying? Like, I was just kind of an athlete like that.
So anyways, we bought a net. Actually, we didn't even buy a net at the start. My mom would set up a hockey net to protect herself from me hitting her. She would soft toss me, feed me balls, and I would just hit him into this big open net that we set up in our. In our tarp garage. And that's kind of. Kind of where it started. So I started just training for no, no, no reason really.
D1 like post grad. Like, nothing was on my mind. I was just having fun playing the game. Right. And that's where it starts.
So whatever started. Started training and started to realize, hey, I'm kind of like, I'm getting kind of good at this, right? I got a kind of powerful swing.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: You know, you got good real quick because to get to the NCAA level since the COVID era, like not too long ago, like four or five years ago, right?
[00:12:21] Speaker A: Exactly. Yes.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: That's incredible that you're. You've been scouted like. Like this and, you know, you should really be proud of yourself for that, that you. You shot up so quickly there for NCAA baseball just out of a whim like that.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: So do you remember then? I mean, if it's got. It's recent, so I would. I would imagine you do, but one that. What a memory that sticks out of your very first game. A big moment maybe a few years back.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: Yeah. So probably. Probably my first ever home run. So I didn't really play in like, a league.
Like, like I said, I just kind of played in County. So like, basically I sent in. This is back to 2020 again, the team Ontario Astros. That's the team I first started with in the Canadian Premier Baseball League. So basically they had.
They had virtual tryouts. So basically you send your videos in and they evaluate it, whatever. So I was like, hey, and this was in Covet. So I was like, hey, why not? So I didn't even tell my parents. I just sent a video in and I just sent it in. Right. See what happens?
Well, general manager gets back to me, hey, we want to sign you. Geez. Okay. How do I tell my parents about this? So I tell them. They're like, like, that's a great opportunity.
So, yeah, I started with the team Ontario Astros in Vaughan, Ontario.
And yeah, kind of just grinded from there.
Then I. A year later, I joined the Ontario Blue Jays. And I've only been playing baseball for about.
For about four, like, four years now. So that's.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: That.
[00:14:00] Speaker A: That's. That's all I got.
But the biggest moment would probably be my first career.
I mean, I got two. I got two kind of big moments now, honestly, three. Am I allowed to share three? Because, like, sure. I don't think there's ever, like, one moment. So obviously my first Canadian Premier Baseball League home run, that was in 14 year.
So that was my one big one. Another one was hitting a grand slam to send my team to the semi to the semifinals in a big tournament in Boston. So I did that last year with the Ontario Blue Jays, so that was pretty cool. And then obviously my first IBL home run this year as well with the IBL Bay Gas. So that was a pretty. That was a pretty big milestone as well.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: I remember that. I think that was in Kitchener, right?
[00:14:44] Speaker A: Yeah, that was in Kitchener and I got all of it. That was probably the one of the best hit balls I had all year. So. Yeah.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Incredible. We're.
What about players or coaches when you first started going back four years ago?
[00:14:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: Were there any players or coaches you really looked up to back then?
[00:15:04] Speaker A: Definitely Cory Eckstein, that was a big coach of mine at Ontario Blue Jays.
He was a guy I looked up to. Still look up to today.
I'd say that's probably the main one. Obviously he was there for me throughout my injury.
Yeah. So I'd say probably Cory Eckstein. So shout out goes to him with the Ontario Blue Jays, because if it wasn't for them, honestly, I probably wouldn't be here.
Obviously, it takes hard work, but it also takes someone that believes in you and someone that sees, you know, sees what others kind of don't see. And with this day and age in baseball, there's a big thing about projectability, right? Like, in terms of, like, if you're 6:2, but only like £160, you're still projectable in a college will take you over. A guy who is only like 5, 8, but already filled out, you know what I'm saying? Because there's no projection. But at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. That's the only, like, ceiling. And, you know, for example, there's guys like Jose Altuve in the mlb, right?
[00:16:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: About how you play, about how you approach the game and your work ethic. So. Yeah.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Yeah. So can you.
Why don't you walk us through a little bit of the process or. Or if you can, the whole process.
[00:16:19] Speaker A: Of.
[00:16:22] Speaker B: Getting discovered in the NCAA for baseball in 2025. Like, how did North Dakota State first discover you?
[00:16:30] Speaker A: Yeah, so recruiting is obviously different in Canada.
So basically you have to. You got. You gotta. You gotta get down to the States somehow. Right. We only really have one big recruiting event in Canada that's called the Canadian Future Showcase. I was lucky to represent myself and, you know, my. My team, Ontario Blue Jays, there twice in a row, so that was pretty cool.
But basically we have. As Canadians, we have to go down there. So where it started with North Dakota was. I was at a. I was at a.
A tournament in Indiana, and this is right. Right when I came back, like, first week after I came back from injury.
So basically it started from there. I did pretty well in that tournament. Our team won the whole thing as well, so that's kind of where it started. And Coach Hunt saw me, you know, gave me a follow on Twitter, whatever, and just started kind of tracking my process, my progress throughout the. Throughout the season and then whatever. Kind of just kept showing up, kept hitting, kept doing all the right things, work ethic, all that type of stuff.
Then basically kind of. I think what did. It was my.
My tournament in Boston. I think in that tournament, I hit about three home runs, about. About 450 in the tournament. About like 13 RBI is like. Did really well. Did really well. That's probably the best tournament I've ever hit as well.
Like I said, I think I had about seven extra bases, so.
Did well there and then as the summer progressed, just kept showing up, doing all the right things. And then basically we jumped on a zoom call, like we're doing right now. They gave me a quick little virtual tour of campus, stuff like that, what they do. And then basically the next day they. They offered me. So it was pretty cool. Yeah, that's.
[00:18:26] Speaker B: That's incredible. Yeah, I mean, like, I. I just think that what you're doing out there is. Is fascinating at such a young age. And, you know, when you were discovered back in Indiana and the other tournament you had mentioned was that with the Ontario Blue Jays, though? Is that Ontario Blue Jays?
[00:18:46] Speaker A: That was with the Ontario Blue Jays, yeah. Both of those tournaments were the Ontario Blue Jays.
And. Yeah.
[00:18:53] Speaker B: So when you.
What was your, like, reaction when you first heard from North Dakota State? Were they, like, the first school to really jump after all?
[00:19:06] Speaker A: No.
Like, no, I had. I had multiple schools from different levels across collegiate sports. Few NI, few Jucos, stuff like that. Also a few other D1s.
Yeah, I'm obviously not going to say their names or anything like that, but, yeah, like, North Dakota. The thing about North Dakota is they showed the most care and the most interest. So at the end of the day, that that's what matters more kind of than any other. Like any other thing. So Coach Hunt was. Every week we were checking in, having a phone call, and I think the biggest thing was we didn't just talk about baseball stats, stuff like that. He asked me, like, how are you doing? Like, how'd you do? How'd you, you know, tackle adversity? And I told him straight out. So there's this one, there's one game in Boston. So like I said, I hit.450.
But what happened to the other points? So this one day I went over oh for five in one day. I had like two K's, two ground balls, like ground outs, and like a fly ball that was hit decently hard.
So I'm like, geez, what happened? Like, the. The two days prior, I just went yard three times. You know what I'm saying? I just cashed in eight rounds. What. What happened? Right. So basically we talked about that, and just like, I came back the next day, showed up, and, you know, that's what it takes. We've had numerous team meetings and with North Dakota State, that's why it's so special here is because, like, a bison can handle adversity. What they like to tell us and what kind of hyped us up the other day was basically, they said there's only one animal in the world that doesn't run away from a storm and charges through it, and that's a bison.
So basically, as a bison, you gotta be built tough, and that's kind of what they focused on. So I would definitely say that's why I was driven. Here was a. I haven't had it easy from the start. Right. Coming from a rural, rural place with no baseball.
Right. Tearing my acl. We'll get into that and a few other roadblocks along the way. But, like, it's not meant to be easy. Right?
So that's why I came here and that's why.
Yeah, the biggest thing was just them caring and really showing interest, amongst other Things like the athletic facilities, what the school believes in the football, our out of conference schedule which is really great this year. Not allowed to share obviously. Yeah, until it comes out on.
[00:21:32] Speaker B: Oh, I can't wait till that comes out because I love college baseball.
[00:21:35] Speaker A: I'll leave you on a question.
It's going to be wherever it's going to be pretty cool. And I'll get to play one of my kind of dream schools. So I'll just leave it at that.
[00:21:47] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. So this summer though you, I mean you see from how I know you through the, the Berry Bay Cats in the Intercounty baseball league and you played several games there this summer, I mean summer 2025, you suited up for both the Berry Bay Cats U22 and the IBL team. So how would you describe that experience and any highlights or, or moments that stand, stand out from the, from the season to you? I mean obviously that home run in Kitchener, was there anything else?
[00:22:20] Speaker A: Probably my first hit, my first double that was in front of my hometown. Like the hometown crowd in Barry. They gave me a warm welcome the whole time. Fan base is great. That's, that's, that's a big reason why I signed there because like I grew up as a kid as well when I moved to Barry to pursue this baseball dream with the Ontario Buddha's. Also grew up watching Bay Cats. Right. I knew Ryan Rio, I knew all those guys. I knew Josh Matlow. So it's pretty cool to suit up for them and just kind of play at home this past summer and work on the stuff I need to do. And the biggest part was you know, play with men, you know, kind of, kind of, kind of get.
What am I trying to say? Basically like in the IBL playing with older competition, that's what I'm going to be doing here, down here, right. So we're playing with 20, 25 year old, even 24 year old men, right. And I'm only just, just turned 19. But yeah, like that was the biggest thing. So definitely for me this summer would be the probably home run and probably my first double.
I thought it was gone off the bat that game but unfortunately Wynn kept it in. But I guess I just need a few more reps in the weight room. I don't know.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: But yeah, so let's correct that. Hold on, you're. Because 18 is when I was doing the research on you but I didn't get your.
[00:23:36] Speaker A: So when did you turn it? Just in June. Just in June. We were in Chatham.
[00:23:39] Speaker B: Okay, June.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: Yeah, that was, that Was Chatham Kent?
Yeah, so I just turned it in June, but.
[00:23:46] Speaker B: All right, so this summer. Yeah, yeah, because I remember your dad telling me you were 18, like at the start of the summer or when you. Yeah, in the spring.
[00:23:54] Speaker A: So.
[00:23:54] Speaker B: Okay, 19. Well, happy belated birthday there to Boylan.
So, I mean, the, the balancing act is obviously difficult, I would imagine so with the, with, you know, you have North Dakota State on the horizon and then you've got the two teams, the IBL and the U22.
So how was it for you, balancing two teams and the travel that that came with it?
[00:24:26] Speaker A: I mean, the travel, the travel was fine because I, I've done that already, like with the Ontario Blue Jays. So that's, that's a good thing about kind of having to drive far and being that far.
And that's just going to be another, another good thing to experience as well, because with ndsu, nothing's given to us easy due to where we are on the map.
So this year I counted, we have like 40 road games and 15 home games.
That's what we have. So we've got a lot of travel.
So, yeah, like, I'd say I managed it pretty well this summer. It was a lot of baseball, but it was a lot of good baseball to get myself right and get, get the reps that I needed to get this summer to be prepared for this fall.
So, yeah, that's good.
[00:25:14] Speaker B: That's good. And this journey of yours, of course, it hasn't come without challenges.
You know, this is the part where I'm, you know, when you, when you intertwine baseball and mental health and I mean, you've, a lot of the times people don't know the extent it takes to come back from an injury, the resiliency you need. And you know, a player that comes to mind is since, since I'm such a Blue Jays fan is Shane Bieber, who, you know, just caught on with the Blue Jays here in this stretch of baseball and MLB hoping for, you know, a great playoff run. And he, listen, he had, he was out for like a year, major surgery, and he comes back and shuts the door. But people just think, yeah, you know, it may, he may have just had a great start and a good hope he continues to do well, but to just come back from that is, is something to say. And you have a similar story to that, battling through a significant injury along the way. So let's create awareness on that, on how difficult it is to stay resilient, maybe what you gone through. Can you share how this Setback affected you mentally and how you. You worked your way back.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: Yeah. So mentally it just tests. So a player that kind of comes to mind for me is Ronald de Cooney Jr. For the Atlanta Braves. He was a guy that, that I looked up to during my rehab because he, he just tore his first ACL at that time. Unfortunately, since then he's tore a second one, paying me to see that.
But, yeah, that was the guy I looked up to. And it just. Just the resilience as an athlete, like, especially, let's dive into baseball.
It is one of the hardest sports on earth, mentally, right? It is. And I, I'd say it is 100, because everything's kind of almost dependent on you. Right. Stats, you got stats, you got fans, you got all that type of stuff. Right?
But yeah, baseball is one of the hardest sports mentally. But plus, like, having to battle through an injury as well and come back from that injury, you know, like when you're on top of the world and then bang, takes it away right away. Like I said, I had numerous schools on me pre injury, and then it just felt like everything went away.
I was gone. I didn't. I felt like I didn't have an identity. Right. Because basically my. My world was baseball. Well, is baseball. But, yeah, it's just. It's just tough. Right.
So, yeah, let's dive more into that.
[00:27:55] Speaker B: And yeah, it was the acl, right, that you.
[00:27:59] Speaker A: Interior cruciate ligament in my left knee. Yes.
So I tore that and then I got ACL reconstructive surgery.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: So how long did it take to rehab to come back?
[00:28:12] Speaker A: It took me about nine months. Nine months of rehab. Continuous rehab, about four or five days a week.
[00:28:20] Speaker B: So.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: But what role did.
But then it needs. It also needs to be more than, like, you have to be in the gym, honestly, seven days a week, whether it's doing stretches, whether it's doing weights, like, just. It was a. It was a. It was a brutal process, I'll be honest with you. But there was physical pain, but there was. The mental pain was honestly worse than the physical.
[00:28:45] Speaker B: So, yeah, the anguish of, you know, you're wondering what's going on with your future and such and the uncertainty.
So, like, teammates, coaches, and family, what role did.
Did they play in your recovery?
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Huge role. Huge role.
Basically, my. My coaches were there for me throughout it all.
My parents played a big role in it as well.
Basically, it kind of, for an athlete coming back, you need all the support you can get, and they gave me all that. Right.
And I battled through it and kind of got through it. So everybody, everybody helped me out. The doctors, coaching staff, everything like that.
[00:29:31] Speaker B: So did you. Did you learn anything about yourself through the process?
[00:29:37] Speaker A: Yeah, I learned how resilient I can be. I learned that it takes guts.
But then I'd also showed myself that when you put your mind to something, you can actively do it. And I stand by that. I believe in it.
And.
Yeah, yeah. So I learned. I learned something about myself that I didn't think I would, unfortunately had to go through, but kind of took the bull by the horns and just had to deal with it. Right. Like the storm was coming. You just got to go through it.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: So you got to go through the process, go through the motions.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Yep.
[00:30:09] Speaker B: So finally, for. For young players dreaming of playing pro ball one day, what advice would you give based on your own experience so far? I mean, I know you're still. It's ncaa, but, like, the way sports.
[00:30:28] Speaker A: Is turning now, it's like it's almost turning pro with all the nil or money and stuff like that.
So it's kind of hard to keep it amateur these days. That's what my coaching staff is just saying. We just finished our team meeting. But yeah, like, like. What do you mean? Like, like, biggest advice for, like, a kid.
[00:30:47] Speaker B: Yeah. For young players, let's say, dreaming of playing pro ball one day that are like, that are kids. They're maybe in their teenage years, not quite at that showcase stage yet, but they have the dream. What advice are you going to give.
[00:30:59] Speaker A: Based on your own experience?
The dream would be. Sorry, the advice I have for them would be grind in the classroom. Doesn't matter what grade you're in, whether it's grade six or grade 12, you got. You got to be in that classroom.
Another thing is you got to be a good human first.
You got to be a good kid.
You got to be respectful. Stuff like that. That's a given.
Every collegiate school, they'll look at your grades first to make sure you can even get to the school. And they'll look at you as a person, and then all the way at the bottom, they'll look at your physical abilities. Because at the end of the day when you go to, like, yes, you have to have the tools and stuff, but they're going to mold you into what they want anyways.
Right. They're going to see you and they're going to mold you into what they want. So, for example, I was a third baseman my whole career. Now I'm left fielder for North Dakota State University. Right. Totally Different.
And then the other thing is just don't, don't be kind of lost. My train of thought there.
Kind of have fun in the game. Like, keep having fun. Don't. Don't move too fast. Enjoy it. Enjoy the process, enjoy the ups, enjoy the downs, because there's going to be more downs and ups. I'll be honest with you. It's going to be tough, but at the end of the day, you got to grind through it. You got to put your, you know, horns down, that I like to say, and just, just kind of take it all in stride and just.
Yeah, there's people there for you.
You're not alone. That's another big thing. A lot of athletes, they tend to think they're alone in this journey. No, there's a lot of people out there.
So, yeah, that would be my three big, like, three main things would be just grades. Be a good human and grind and just have fun. Right. Any.
[00:32:54] Speaker B: Yeah, some good advice, for sure. 100%.
Any, any baseball superstitions that Austin has yet? Yeah, I mean, there's got to be something. I, I definitely want to tell you one that happened just recently, but go ahead with yours.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: So any baseball superstitions? For me, I like to get up, get a good breakfast in. Whether that's like. For me, it's like bacon and eggs.
Growing up, like playing hockey any day would be bacon and eggs in the morning.
On game days. On game days, yeah. Yeah. Another big thing is just kind of the way I walk up to the plate, kind of tap, tap the plate, get in my stance, whatever. I do the exact same thing every time.
And I'd say that's about it.
Another thing is just, It's a, it's a standard that's a given in baseball. You don't touch the white line. You don't step on it, you know. Right. Hop over it. Right.
Another thing is just.
This isn't really superstition, but kind of what happens between those lines. As soon as you step over that line after the game, it's gone. Whether you went over four or four for four with two bombs and two Delvas, you know, you gotta. As a baseball player, you gotta wipe it. That'd be actually another, Another kind of thing of advice I would give to youngsters with the dream. Don't worry about stats. Just like I said, have fun.
Don't be too hard on yourself because that's. That's kind of. That's the kind of crappy thing with baseball that it can be really mentally challenging. Right. So Just don't worry about stats. Just grind, heff on and like I said before, just take it all in stride. So.
[00:34:40] Speaker B: Good stuff. Yeah. So the other, the other night, actually, this is what I did for a baseball superstition. It only became superstitious the day after. But on. So you know, the night the Bank Hats are playing the Leafs there and then at Christy Pitts, they're the backs against the wall. If they lost, season would be over. I don't know if you kept track of them. Yeah, a couple nights ago it happened. So I sent Josh Matlow a text. I go, uh, sending you good vibes for tonight, pal. And like, gave the prayer hands and, and the fist bump sort of thing.
And, and then like, you know, he gave that the heart at the end of the night when they, when they managed to tie the series two. Two. And I sent that at 6pm, like on the Tuesday. And. Yes. And, and then the next day at 6pm I made sure to send the exact same text when their backs against.
[00:35:30] Speaker A: The wall and they want to tell.
[00:35:32] Speaker B: So with your backs against the wall two nights in a row, I sent you the same text at the same time and you guys won both nights. And I'm like, okay, this is, this is a thing now if they get their backs against the wall, I gotta, gotta send the text at the same time.
[00:35:45] Speaker A: But yeah, I know you gotta do it. Gotta do it.
[00:35:48] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll have different superstitions for sure. And baseball is a very superstitious sport. But talk about quickly. The, the one habit or maybe like it's a mindset for you that's helped you the most throughout your, your career thus far.
Habit or mindset?
[00:36:09] Speaker A: Dive a little deep. Like dive a little deeper. Kind of expand on that question a little bit for me.
[00:36:13] Speaker B: Like, like hitting wise or like just like it could be just with your, your play on the field. With the. On the field. Excuse me. So sort of like, is it something like I'm. You say to yourself, I'm gonna show up to batting practice every single day at, at this time.
Or I'm like, I'm not gonna allow myself to get lazy. I'm gonna, I'm gonna show up early to the park before everyone else. The last one to leave is.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: Yeah, gotcha. Yeah, for me, it's, it's about, for me, my thing would be don't take any rep for granted.
That's kind of one thing I pride myself on. So every swing I take, it's going to be with a purpose and with an intent to better Myself. So that would be one thing. I arrive. Every time I arrive to the field, I do.
So, yeah, I'd say that that's a big thing, but the biggest thing, I think, is mindset. So every time I step up to the plate, I'm looking to do damage. I don't care who's on the mound. I. I'm going down with a fight.
And, yeah, just looking to do my job, contribute to the team, whatever team I'm playing for, you know, just represent myself in a way that I want to be represented.
[00:37:28] Speaker B: So, Austin, listen, I'm so proud of you. It's been great to have you on awareness, fostering a more compassionate, empathetic, and accepting society. Your story is certainly a reminder that talent, hard work, and. And perseverance all have to. To work together. And you've clearly put in the time on all three. So we certainly wish you nothing but success as you take the field with North Dakota State University. With the Bisons and.
With the Bison and. And it's Bisons, right?
[00:38:07] Speaker A: Bison. Yeah.
[00:38:08] Speaker B: So Bison.
[00:38:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:38:11] Speaker B: Excuse me.
[00:38:11] Speaker A: It's not a Buffalo. It's a Bison.
[00:38:13] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, a Bison. Sorry. Yeah. So the North Dakota State Bison certainly wish the best for you there and wish you the best in tackling both the academic and athletic challenges ahead. So thank you so much again for joining me. And to everyone listening, keep an eye on this young man right here, because I think we'll be hearing his name a lot more in the years to come.
[00:38:37] Speaker A: So thank you.
[00:38:39] Speaker B: Austin Boylan, member of the North Dakota State University Bison, and of course, also a member of the Barry Bay Cats, who are on a playoff run right now. So thank you so much for. For doing this.
[00:38:52] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:38:53] Speaker B: And look forward to keeping, keeping in touch as your career continues. So all the best.
[00:38:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Thank you for having me, for sure.
[00:39:00] Speaker B: This has been another edition of Awareness, the podcast, episode number 22. Thank you so much for listening, watching. Wherever you get your podcast, don't forget to like and subscribe. That would certainly mean the world. And. And get this podcast out to as many people you think that need it. Student athletes, young athletes, athletes of all ages, when it comes to mental health, the mental side, and of course, the physical, we talk about, too. But this is certainly an eye opener.
So episode number 22 for producer Mike. My name is Rob Daniels, and we'll see you in the next episode.
