Haliburton County baseball prospect, Austin Boylan, has battled through a year of adversity, and been awarded an NCAA Division 1 baseball scholarship with the North Dakoka Bisons for the 2024-2028 seasons.
The 18-year-old is also taking part in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 2024 Canadian Futures Showcase at the Rogers Centre – making him one of 160 elite players from Canada selected to show off their skills in front of Major League Baseball scouts – Sept. 17-21.
Boylan underwent ACL surgery in August 2023 followed by intensive rehabilitation, which garnered him the Ontario Blue Jays Jason Freeman Award for perseverance and determination.
Boylan said he is now healed, having returned in earnest to the sport this past June, and had a great summer season.
“We (The Ontario Blue Jays) went down to tournaments this year in Indiana, Boston, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and I had a great season. That’s really what got them (North Dakota) attracted to me. They saw me in Indiana. I was just getting back from injury,” Boylan said.
During its recruitment process, the university offered a virtual tour of its campus and Boylan was able to speak with coaching staff and talk player development. He received an offer Aug. 15 and accepted it the next day.
“It was crazy. I was on the phone with my agent, coaching staff at the Ontario Blue Jays checking out the offer, my mom, Kristin Glass, and dad, James Raposo, were there.”
Boylan likes the Bisons, “my type of school, everything checks boxes, their team, coaching staff, player development. They were the top school on my list that were recruiting me.”
While he said he was all business on the call, once it ended the celebrations began.
“I was so excited because this is what I have been working for, for the last four years. This is goal number one. And, obviously, there has been a lot of adversity that I have had to fight.”
Between now and September 2025 when he goes to North Dakoka, Boylan has a lot on his plate.
He’s got the Features Showcase. He’s excited about that because the last one he did in 2022 was in Ottawa. This time around, it’s at the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. In October, he plans to visit North Dakoka in-person.
Work with the Ontario Blue Jays began again last week. He said most of the team is Division 1 committed. For 18-yearolds, he said coaches prepare them for college baseball. They’ll play some American teams in the fall, and then again next spring and summer.
The experience at North Dakota will see the Bisons play the “big boys” at schools such as LSU and Alabama, he said. It will attract Major League Baseball scouts.
He said his next goal is to get drafted by a Major League Baseball club. He knows the odds. He is realistic that if that does not happen, he can emerge from college with a university degree. He is thinking of studying sport management, maybe becoming an agent one day.
However, he would love a crack at the majors, even if it is just a farm team.
“My next goal is to at least get drafted, from the first to the 12th round, I don’t care. I’m doing what only two per cent of kids in North America get to do, and have four years of development at North Dakota ahead of me. They see a lot of potential in me. I’ve only been playing three full seasons of baseball and they think there is a lot of untapped, raw talent still in there.”
A third baseman much of his career, Boylan is being trained to be an outfielder this year. However, he said his strength is batting. “As long as I hit, they’ll find a place for me. I’m fast, stocky and have a good arm.”
He has bulked up and now would like to shed a few pounds to maintain his speed.
Coming through the torn ACL, surgery and recovery has also made him more resilient. At the time, it was a career setback and was hard on him physically and mentally. However, he battled through it. After the Jason Freeman award, he returned as a top batter this past summer.
“It was tough, but I’m here now.”
Anyone can attend the Futures event at the Rogers Centre ($40 for the week or $20/day).
