"Pitcher, father leads Vikings’ staff" -- April 7, 2006

By C. Jennings Breakey
The Western Front


Scattered throughout the Bellingham Sportsplex, Western club baseball players hit balls in the netted batting cage, take grounders on the artificial turf field and pitch off the black rubber floor at practice the evening of March 30.

The players looked focused yet relaxed, poking fun at each other between repetitions. But senior pitcher Brandon Boyd, 24, looked slightly distracted while talking with teammates.

Boyd’s eyes wander to his right and left, peering between a handful of teammates until he finally spots the green eyes of his 20-month-old- son Braiden.

The brown-haired boy wears a tiny black baseball mitt, a Boston Red Sox cap, a fuzzy, gray army fleece and smiles cheerfully with chubby cheeks. He is the only child among Western’s players and coaches.

“You don’t want to eat that, that’s not yours,” Boyd said to Braiden as his son tried to nibble leftover cracker crumbs on one of the Sportsplex’s tables.

As Boyd brushed off the table and wiped Braiden’s mouth with his sleeve, he said his son has more interests than other people’s food.

“He’s really into dinosaurs right now,” said Boyd, who’s majoring in physical science and health. “We just bought a couple new dinosaur books today. That’s what he was doing before we came to practice.”

Boyd anchors the baseball club’s pitching staff with a 2.13 ERA. The Viking starter was a 2005 first team all-region pitcher.

When the two arrived at the Sportsplex, Boyd jumped into doing what he loves — pitching. While the right-hander rarely gets rattled on the mound, his son gave him more mental toughness.

“I’m more relaxed out there,” Boyd said. “Since I have a son, it’s not that big of a deal. There are more important things. I don’t get nervous playing sports anymore.”

Boyd, who is engaged to fiance Amber DeRouchey, who is Braiden’s mother, said Braiden’s favorite thing to do on the baseball field is stepping on the bases after games.

Boyd said balancing baseball with parenthood is tough because of time conflicts, but Western senior pitcher Ryan Kauffman said he’s risen to the occasion on both ends.

“He’s super mature for his age,” Kauffman said. “He’s juggling everything right now. He’s like our fourth coach. That’s the way we think of him.”

Boyd has classes at 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., but he said that’s when his day starts. Because Boyd and DeRouchey share a car, he picks up Braiden after school and drops DeRouchey off at the Bellingham Beauty School, where she attends class, for the evening.

When he found out he was going to be a dad while pursuing a degree, Boyd said he was a little overwhelmed.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this is too much to handle,’ ” he said. “I have to give him attention, too.” Studying all day is no longer an option, Boyd said.

He has balanced a grueling schedule and spending time with Braiden, he said.

“I get to spend the whole afternoon together with him,” he said. “We get close.”

Kauffman supervised Braiden while Boyd pitched during practice. He said he enjoys the little left-hander’s company.

“It’s just a lot of fun to have him around,” Kauffman said. “I wish he was a little older because we would have him in the dugout.”

Head coach Michael Johnson said Boyd’s fatherly maturity shows just as much on the field as it does off.

“It definitely rolls over onto the field the way he presents himself on the mound,” he said. “He’s always looking to set a good example for his son.”

Johnson said every sports-minded father’s dream is to have his kid grow up and play the sport he played when young.

From what the Vikings’ players and coach observe, Boyd’s dream will come true, Johnson said.

“He’s (Braiden) got a bright future ahead of him from what we can see,” he said. “The kid has got a great father to teach him how to play the game.”

C. Jennings breakey / The Western Front

Western senior pitcher Brandon Boyd plays with his 20-month-old son, Braiden, during practice at the Bellingham Sportsplex March 30.