NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks utility man Hunter Boylan delivers a pitch in the Mavericks 6-5 loss to the Weyburn Beavers on July 22 at Athletic Park.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Hunter Boylan has always tried to be a good teammate on every baseball team he’s played on.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks utility man says it’s something he learned from his dad, Patrick.
“When I was growing up, my dad always told me there’s three facets to baseball, there’s hitting, defence and being a good teammate,” Boylan said. “You have to try to be at least two out of three of those, so being a teammate should be a given every day, any day.”
Part of that positivity comes from a message Boylan has written inside his hat that reads, “Be happy.”
“Sometimes this game can be challenging and you get ups and downs, so you have to remind yourself that you’re playing a game. You have to be happy out there, it’s the only way you can succeed,” Boylan said. “I look at it a lot. When I strike out it’s like alright, you have to be happy, get out there, go play some defence or whatever, you know, just keep going forward.”
Boylan joined the Mavericks from Chico State University in California and has split time between first base and the pitching mound while donning the Medicine Hat red.
The Simi Valley, Calif. product said he came to Medicine Hat mainly to get reps at first base, but told the Mavericks he could pitch if needed, which he has, and has enjoyed.
I love competing on the mound, it’s fun,” Boylan said. “It’s nice being in the game every single day at first, but definitely pitching here and there, is more of a fast-paced competition. I feel like they both have their pluses for sure.”
Boylan has 15 strikeouts in his 15.1 innings pitched with the Mavericks. He pitched in Game 1 of the team’s double-header in Regina Monday night, an 8-6 loss to the Red Sox. He was not in Game 2 of the night, a 4-2 win for Medicine Hat.
At the plate, Boylan has two home runs and a .241 batting average in 23 games entering Tuesday night’s contest back in Regina. That game was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full story.
Boylan said he’s gotten better this summer through getting the opportunity to both pitch and hit.
“I think I’ve improved a lot in pitching and then just the constant ground balls and hitting have helped my game a lot,” Boylan said. “I think all around I’ve improved as a player.”
He said he’ll mainly play first base at Chico but pitching will be a big part of his career as he gets bigger and stronger. Helping him gain that muscle and lock into games is his pre-game Starbucks run. He has a specific order he gets before every game and thinks the employees at the Starbucks closest to the park know his name and order.
“It’s the strawberry açai refresher with apple juice and no berries,” Boylan said. “It’s gross with all the berries in there.”
That order is something he brought to the Hat from home and is something picked up from his sister who works at a Starbucks. He also brought a regimented hair routine that helps maintain his flow.
“My hair grows like a weed, so I just have to maintain it and then it’ll flow,” Boylan said. “I have different shampoos and conditioners, I go the whole nine yards.”
Boylan said he is excited for the idea of playoff baseball in Medicine Hat as he’s heard it gets even more competitive. No matter how long their summer stretches into the post-season, Boylan says he’s enjoyed his time in Medicine Hat, both at Athletic Park and throughout the city.
“Outside of baseball, Medicine Hat has been a really welcoming town. I was walking downtown the other day, and everyone knows each other, it’s a really tight knit community and I think that’s awesome,” Boylan said.
