Despite this season serving as his first year in high school baseball, freshman Jonah Boyd has already paved his way in Ayala’s Boys Varsity baseball team as a prominent shortstop. From making valuable plays for the team throughout his season to being nominated for the baseball “Freshman of the Year” title, Boyd’s current record of successes marks the beginning of his journey ahead.

Before this year’s high school season, Boyd’s experience in baseball had already been abundant. At the age of five, Boyd had discovered his interest in the sport by watching many baseball films and receiving inspiration from his baseball idol, Jackie Robinson. After years of accomplishments, Boyd has cultivated much experience in baseball, especially with the aid of his greatest supporters.

“My grandpa and my dad–they put a lot of resources in me and provided me with a lot of stuff that I did good with,” Boyd said.

Boyd’s years of cultivating his passion and dedication were especially rewarding as he was recruited before his first high school season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) Breakthrough Series, playing for their 15U team. The program was first put together in 2008 by two prominent baseball organizations, the MLB and USA Baseball, and is composed of elite high school baseball athletes throughout the nation who are taught on-and-off the field skills and knowledge.

These experiences assisted him in not only being able join Ayala’s baseball team, but become a valuable asset while being the only freshman in their Varsity team. During his season, Boyd was  batting 0.466 overall and 0.581 in league play. He has secured 35 hits, 18 Run Batted In (RBI), 22 runs, 0.468 on-base percentage (OBP).

“Some goals I had were just getting to meet new teammates and really starting to create a new bond and really strive for greatness that I had,” Boyd said.

Yet, a major challenge, frequently experienced by athletes in team sports, that Boyd was forced to overcome was play time. Especially as it was his first season, Boyd had worried how much of his skill he would be able to demonstrate due to seniority and equal playtime among his teammates. Still, Boyd was able to persevere and prove his skill to not only his team, but also himself.

“From day one, we knew Jonah had the talent to be a key piece of our program—we just didn’t anticipate how quickly that would happen,” Varsity baseball Head Coach Bradley McGuire said. “Honestly, we thought he was a year away. But over winter break, everything changed. He came back with a different mindset—no longer trying to blend in, but determined to earn a role.”

Evidently, Boyd had successfully showcased his abilities as an athlete as he was nominated during this season for the esteemed title of “Freshman of the Year.” The award was presented to ten of the best performing freshmen in baseball throughout California for their outstanding skills among thousands of high school student-athletes. While Boyd had remained the most voted nominee for several days, he unfortunately lost to another student-athlete for the title. 

Despite his loss for the title, Boyd’s accomplishments throughout his baseball career and over the course of his first high school season have proven to be more than commemorable.

“Over the course of the season, Jonah embraced every challenge. Competing against 18- and 19-year-olds didn’t faze him—he stepped up, competed fearlessly, and proved he belonged,” McGuire said.

With an already strong inaugural season, Boyd is only predicted to grow in his skills and accomplishments as an athlete over the next few years of his high school career.