Around this time in 2019, Rylan Galvan was beginning his high school baseball career at Sinton High School. He had no idea how far it would go over the next three months.
It started with Galvan's quick development from freshman player to varsity leader, and continued with Sinton's second 30-win season and second UIL 4A Region IV Semifinal appearance in three years.
"I earned the upperclassmen respect by simply proving [to] them that I could play and hang with them, and also playing to a very high level that they didn't believe I could play at," said Galvan. "What I do to be a leader on the team is that I lead by example. Showing [teammates] the right way to play the game, and that's with class, respect, sportsmanship and [competing] at 100 miles per hour at all times. I also lead by being very positive with my teammates."
Sinton's 2019 season ultimately concluded with a series sweep defeat against Liberty Hill, but Galvan was able to quickly turn his attention away from the disappointment. That's because he received an offer from his dream school the following day.
"I received my official offer [on] May 26th, 2019," he said. "I was extremely honored and blessed with the offer because, growing up as a kid, I idolized The University of Texas baseball program and had dreams of being able to one day wear that burnt orange and white."
Galvan has obviously admired UT for a long time and expects it to be a good fit.
"I feel that Texas was the right choice for me because the coaching staff and the whole baseball program made me feel at home," he said. "I connected with them very quickly and felt like they could help me take my game to the level [that] I'm trying to reach. Academics is also something [that is] very important in my life and I felt like there was no better place to receive a degree from than The University of Texas."
Galvan is still two years away from stepping on The Forty Acres as a student, but there's an experience that he's already looking forward to.
"Being able to attend a Texas football game is probably what I'm looking forward to the most because I hear the atmosphere is like no other," he said.
In the meantime, Galvan wants to continue Sinton's great baseball legacy. He is familiar with the program's three UIL state championships from the 1988, 1989 and 2002 seasons and nine UIL state final four appearances from the 1975, 1988, 1989, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2014 and 2017 campaigns, and wants to experience a similar run for himself.
"We are a very different team than last year," he said. "This year, we are a very young team, but with a lot of talent that is very capable of making that deep playoff run. We plan on building off last year's season by just upholding that Sinton Pirate baseball tradition and continuing to do things the right way, just how the guys that came through the program before us did. Our goal this year, as it is every year for this program, is to bring a state championship back to the town of Sinton."
For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPESATX) on Twitter.
Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.