EKU thrower pitches in for his native Richmond

RICHMOND, KY (WTVQ)- If you take a trip to Eastern Kentucky University pitcher Bryce Travis’ home this summer you wouldn’t find him on the couch watching television.

That’s because he’s on the baseball diamond.

“This off-season I’ve been hammering throwing change ups,” said Travis, a senior at EKU. “I’m honing in on how I do things and making sure every aspect of my game is cleaned up in order to be ready for next season.”

While he takes time to improve his throws, Travis is busy giving back to the local baseball community as a coach and Little League umpire in his native Richmond.

“I currently coach an under-16 travel team this summer and I do individual lessons with about 15 kids a week,” said Travis. “I enjoy giving back to the younger baseball community.”

During the school year, Bryce’s balancing act is even more rigorous.

He is a part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at EKU as a vice president and team captain. Travis is also excelling in his studies to attain a degree in biomedical science and chemistry.

“I want to make sure us as athletes, myself included, get everything we want out of our experience in the ASUN and the NCAA. That makes it worth it to do the extra work that I have to do,” said Travis.

All of his endeavors off of the field have earned him a spot on the 2022-23 ASUN Conference Spring Winners for Life Team. The group is made up of one student-athlete from each of the 14 ASUN schools and honors athletes who display the values of the conference everyday.

ASUN CORE VALUES

• Education
• Honesty
• Student-Athlete Experience
• Fairness
• Health
• Ambition
• Respect
• Diversity
• Inclusion
• Leadership
• Responsibility
• Sportsmanship

The six-foot tall left hander embodies those values on the diamond too as EKU’s Mr. Reliable. In 2023, he was tied for most appearances by an ASUN pitcher with 28. He also struck out 29 batters.

However, those statistics and any awards aren’t his priorities.

“At the end of the day the award is just a thing that I get. I’m super glad that I got it, but for me the main thing is continuing to do all those things,” said Travis. “I think that the more you can have younger kids benefit from what you tell them the better the sport progresses and the communities that you’re around progress.”

His message to other athletes is that they shouldn’t base their identity on their on-field performance.

“Learning that has made me a better person and a better player,” said Travis.