It’s not unusual for athletes from small schools to play multiple sports for their school. However, it is uncommon for an athlete from a small school to earn all-state honors multiple times in multiple sports while also being recognized as the top athlete in the state for a particular sport.
Fortunately for Juab, BYU commit and junior Austin Park was extraordinary enough to accomplish just that while also being named the 16th Deseret News Mr. Baseball.
“My whole life I’ve loved baseball,” Park said. “I’ve loved other sports too, but baseball has always been my favorite. I loved growing up in a small town where you knew everybody, and it gave me the chance to play multiple sports. I think playing other sports also helped me grow in baseball.”
“It’s great to represent Juab. It’s a great community and I’m happy I’m able to show everybody what we’re about.”
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Alongside baseball, Park is the starting quarterback for the football team and made the 3A basketball all-state first and second teams the last two years.
Juab baseball head coach Josh Park said he believes Austin’s ability to play multiple sports has made him a better player.
“I think he represents a lot of small-town kids where they’re multisport athletes,” coach Park said. “He loves to play, he plays a lot and he plays all the sports a lot and I think that contributes to his success. It’s really fun to watch him and his teammates in the success that they’ve had.”
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As the baseball season progressed, Austin Park consistently delivered at the plate and led the state with a .568 batting average and 58 RBIs. It was the second-highest single-season RBI total in state history. He was also third in the state with a 0.989 slugging percentage and ended the season with seven home runs and 19 stolen bases.
He didn’t contribute just at the plate, though. On the mound, he tallied 80 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched and held a 7-1 record.
Neither Austin nor coach Park checked his stats throughout the season. While Austin was having a standout season, to coach Park it felt like it was the norm.
“I don’t want to downplay at all what Austin did this year, but for me, it was just him being Austin and he’s done that for years,” the coach said. “It wasn’t until towards the end of the season that I started looking at the numbers and realized, ‘Wow, he’s having an incredible season.’ As it was all happening it just seemed like it was just Austin being Austin.”
Austin Park intentionally avoided checking his stats throughout the season, only looking at them after being knocked out of the state tournament by Union in mid-May. He made this decision to stay focused on his game and to help him enjoy playing baseball again.
“Last year I got caught up in my stats and I was so focused on, ‘I need to have this stat and I need to keep my averages up,’” he said. “I had a few goals at the start of the season, and I just wanted to have fun playing baseball again without any worries or distractions. It helped a ton, and it cleared my head and let me be me.”
The strategy worked as he helped lead the Wasps to a 21-8 record and a Region 12 title, and although they came up short of a state title, the loss has only motivated Austin more, and he knows he can help the Wasps win another state title in his senior year.
“Losing that one motivates all of us,” he said. “We felt like we could’ve gone back-to-back. We know we could’ve done it and we know we’ll come back and work a lot harder. We have that goal to win it next year.”
Past Deseret News Mr. Baseball winners
2023 — Tyler Ball, Skyridge.
2022 — Luke Anderson, Snow Canyon
2021 — Fisher Ingersoll, American Fork
2019 — Brock Watkins, Pleasant Grove
2018 — Tyson Fisher, Dixie
2017 — Seth Corry, Lone Peak
2016 — Payton Henry, Pleasant Grove
2015 — Easton Walker, Pleasant Grove
2014 — Colton Shaver, Jordan
2013 — Riley Ottesen, American Fork
2012 — Dallas Carroll, Taylorsville
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2011 — Kayden Porter, Spanish Fork
2010 — Marcus Littlewood, Pine View
2009 — Marcus Littlewood, Pine View
2008 — Joe Pond, Judge Memorial
