RANKINGS
McGuffin Is Somer-Set For March To Fort Collins
By now, local San Antonio area softball fans are well aware of the talents of Somerset's Jalyn McGuffin. But, she has more people to impress once she makes the move to Colorado State's program. The long-awaited journey begins once she graduates from high school at the end of the current school year.
"The offer from the CSU coaches came to me when I was 15, in October of my sophomore year," said McGuffin. "I had actually just finished a playoff volleyball game about 30 minutes before I received the call and, when I received my offer, I was overcome with both excitement and glee that I had the opportunity to do something that I had dreamed about since I was a child. I committed the next week."
Northern Colorado may be a significant drive from South Texas, but McGuffin made her decision based on important factors. The first was the college town's community support.
"The thing that excites me the most about being a part of the Colorado State softball program is that not only is the team stacked with unbelievable talent and coached by some of the best coaches, but the entire city of Fort Collins completely wraps itself around the program and fully supports it," she said. "It's an atmosphere like no other at a home game and it's something that I will cherish when I get there."
McGuffin also recognized that college is a great time to experience new things, and her new environment will definitely provide that.
"It was the right choice for me to move to Northern Colorado because I felt it was a necessity to get away from everything I've ever known and experience an entirely new area of the U.S. on my own," she said. "Just exploring nature and learning who I am as I begin my journey through life."
Ram Nation should be excited for the type of athlete that it's getting in McGuffin. That's because she's a player that competes until the last out.
"For people that have never seen me play, I would describe the way I play as just a kid who fell in love with the game and never looked back," she said. "I am always the most vocal one on the field, the one jumping and screaming after a teammate makes a diving catch and the one who plays every play as if it may be my last. In our game, we never know when injuries may end our career, therefore I play every play as if it may be my last because it's what I love to do and it's [what] made me who I am."
Before McGuffin turns her attention to Fort Collins, she has to finish her high school softball career at Somerset. She is motivated to finish it on a strong note after her team just missed the UIL 5A postseason in 2019.
"Last season really put every ounce of work into perspective when we missed playoffs by two games," she said. "That made us realize that not only is every team in our district working just as hard as us, but that we need to put in 110% effort every time we go to practice to ensure that we are working harder than everyone around us. This year, we just need to stay on our grind and battle into a top four spot in order to punch our ticket into the postseason."
To get Somerset to the dance in 2020, McGuffin plans to lead by example. Luckily for Bulldog fans, she has the necessary qualities to get them over the hump.
"As a senior at Somerset, I take the leadership position to heart knowing that this is the last time I will play with my classmates," she said. "I am always the loudest one on the field and I communicate with my teammates when there is a question, as well as teaching certain situations when there is uncertainty. To finish my high school career on a high note, I would like to go into the postseason one more time just to feel the energy that radiates from it."
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VYPE 411: Rouse's Kingsbery Heads South To UTSA
The Austin area produces a lot of top tier athletes. That's why VYPE Austin editor/reporter Thomas Bingham caught up with Leander Rouse baseball player and 2020 UTSA commit Fischer Kingsbery this week. Check out our VYPE 411 Q&A segment to learn about his college opportunity, the type of athlete he is, the 2020 high school baseball season and more.
Bingham: "You're a 2020 UTSA baseball commit. What excites you about the opportunity and why was it the right college choice for you?"
Kingsbery: "The biggest thing that excites me about playing baseball at the next level, especially at UTSA, is the coaching staff. After meeting with them a few times, I knew that it would be the best place to spend my next four years. One of my personal goals as an athlete is to become the best player I can possibly be so, after hearing the experiences the coaches had with developing pitchers, I knew it would be a great fit to reach my goal."
Bingham: "When did the offer come in and how honored were you when you received it?"
Kingsbery: "I was offered the week after I attended a baseball camp at UTSA at the end of last summer. I had played in a tournament with my summer club team at UTSA and [assistant] coach [Scott] Shepperd saw my outing. Then, I was invited to a UTSA camp and after that [was] asked to come with my family for a visit the following Saturday. We were in the coach's office when I received the offer and it was like nothing else. The hard work and late nights had all payed off at that moment. I was so grateful and, on the car ride home, I gave coach a call and accepted the offer."
Bingham: "As a senior at Leander Rouse, how do you try to lead by example on the baseball field?"
Kingsbery: "The biggest way I see myself leading by example is by putting in the extra work. You don't become great by just practicing at practice. I work with a private trainer and a private pitching coach up to four times a week. I also focus on my diet and getting the right nutrients."
Bingham: "What goals are you chasing as a senior to finish your high school career on the right note?"
Kingsbery: "My main goal for the year is to put us in a position to win baseball games, so that we continue our run of winning district and try to get to the state tournament. Whenever I'm on the mound, all I want to do is get batters out and keep them off the board."
Bingham: "Leander Rouse won a playoff series in 2019. How are you and your teammates planning on building off of that in 2020 and what goals are y'all chasing?"
Kingsbery: "We exited the playoffs earlier than we wanted to last year, and we're using that loss as motivation to be better and go farther this year. Our goals are the same as prior years: to make it to the state tournament. What makes this year different is that as a varsity team, we're working more outside of practice to get stronger, which should translate to the field."
For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) 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.