Bryce Baugh grew up on the baseball diamond. Almost literally, according to his father Norm Baugh.
"I used to take him with me to the ball field when he was just 9 months old, and little Bryce would try to eat as much of the dirt as he possibly could," he said. "His mom would get pretty mad at me when I would bring him home and he would have a big circle of that red dirt all around his mouth. He has been at ball fields all his life."
Baseball has been a part of the Baugh family for decades. Bryce's grandfather, Dennis Job, was the owner of the Ogden A's ball club, a team that played in the older days of the PCL and was rivals with the Salt Lake Gulls. Along with Dennis, an uncle and Bryce's other grandfather played baseball in the major leagues.
Brandon Baugh is Bryce's elder by six years and was a ball player growing up as well. Bryce said that a big part of his success has been because of his brother, who is an assistant at Copper Hills. His influence in helping Bryce make decisions from his own experiences is one of the reasons that Bryce said he is where he is today. The family influence in baseball was always there for Bryce.
"I remember I started pitching to him when he was about 2 years old," said Norm. "He took the first pitch I threw him and hit it right back into my chest."
Bryce has continued to hit like that ever since.
In little league, Baugh was an important member of two teams that won national tournaments. The Utah Sluggerzz and the Highlanders were composed of some of the best athletes from around the Salt Lake metro area. The top players on other high school teams were all once on one unit. Tanner Robles and Rem Wilson of Cottonwood, Zach Jones, Mike Gibbens and Garrett Nash of Jordan are just a few of the players from that team that have gone on to earn college scholarships through athletics, and Baugh has continued to progress since those little league days.
"There is a reason why people consider Bryce one of the best in the state," said Bryce's coach at Copper Hills, Nic DeLuca. "He is one heckuva ball player."
Baugh plays shortstop and pitches for the Grizzlies, a team that after a rough start is beginning to make some noise in Region 3. He is the unquestioned leader and the major reason why the club has turned its season around.
"We had a lot of issues at the beginning of the year," said Baugh. "We weren't really all together as a team, but I think we have started to figure it out lately. We still have the potential to beat a lot of teams."
Being the captain of a young squad has its pressures, but it also has its rewards for the senior. He is the only returning starter on a team that won three playoff games last season to advance to the consolation finals. He is looked upon to provide leadership, and he has lived up to the calling.
"I love being the captain," he said. "It's a lot of fun. Things started to get better for us after I talked to everybody and said that we needed to get together as a group more, to really put our focus on being a team."
Being part of a team comes easily for Baugh. He is outgoing and responds well to other people. Plus, it is one of the main reasons he enjoys playing baseball.
"It is what I use to go and hang out with your buddies for three or four hours a day," Baugh said. "It is something I use to get away from the pressures of the world. I use it to stay out of trouble and be doing something productive."
His time on the field has been very productive for Baugh as he will have part of his college education paid for. He signed to go to school and play baseball next year at Pepperdine, where he said he plans to study business.
"It was a good opportunity for me. They have a great baseball team, and the coaches there really made me feel wanted. The school also has a great academic program, and if baseball doesn't work out, I want to get my degree so I have something to fall back on."
Baugh doesn't just give lip service when it comes to his studies. He is a 3.5 student who is regularly on the honor roll and earned a 3.8 last quarter. He said that he enjoys all his classes, but being in the final quarter of his senior year, his favorite right now is a basketball class.
When not taking part in athletics, Baugh said his other passion is hunting.
"My dad and brother and I go every year up to Canada and hunt ducks and geese," Baugh added. "I love it. It is a great bonding time for us, and I love to get out in the outdoors."
Baugh's high school career will end sometime later this month, but his love of the game will go on forever.
"I love playing baseball," he said. "There is just something special about getting out on the field, being with your friends and playing the greatest game around."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com