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."
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