Kyle Obst has had the injury bug and bad luck hit him a lot during his time at Dean. (Photo Courtesy: Kyle Obst).
While a lot of kids growing up love playing baseball and dream about continuing to play into college, sometimes players catch bad breaks with injuries. This is what happened to Dean infielder Kyle Obst this season on March 8th in the second game of a double header versus Carin University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when around the 5th inning he went after a fly ball in foul territory near the first baseline and despite calling off catcher Ryan Gallagher and caught the ball, Gallagher slipped under him which led to Obst hearing his arm crack.
Obst has been playing baseball since he was five years old starting with Tee Ball and working his way up through coach pitch, AA, AAA, the Babe Ruth League, AAU, high school and now college. Obst credits his love for the game of baseball to his father. Ever since he was four years old his father always talked about baseball and was a big supporter of his from the beginning.
As a player growing up, Obst describes himself as a hard-working kid who loved the game and gave it everything he had whenever he stepped onto the field. Growing up he was a starting pitcher and 1st basemen. Obst said that he was a combination of a power hitter as well as a contact hitter because he could hit it far on the field but also hit for power if needed.
When it came time for Obst to decide where to go to college, Dean was a no brainer in his mind. “During my senior year of high school when I was getting recruited to play college baseball, Dean struck me as a school that fit the best. Coach May was really nice and welcomed me with open arms. Also, I am going for a sports management degree and the program at Dean is one of the best in New England, so it was a no brainer.”
Obst had a rough beginning at Dean as he tore his labrum during his freshman season which forced him to miss the entire season. During his sophomore year his season got cut short in 2020 when Covid-19 shut everything down. Finally, last season also got cut short due to Dean closing early because of a spike of covid cases on campus which made it back-to-back years where his baseball season was ended early. “I was heartbroken. We were only eight games in last season, and we had a real shot to win the conference, so it was a stab in the heart. It just taught me to not take the game for granted. Every time you take the field you have to play like It is your last time ever playing because it could end so quickly with the snap of a finger,” Obst explained. “I was in my room getting ready to go to practice and got the email from Dr Rooney. The first thing I did was give my roommate a hug since he was a senior. I could feel the pain he felt as he read the email too.”
This season was supposed to be Obst’s first full season now as a senior. However, he suffered a hairline fracture on March 8th in the second game of a double header versus Carin University when he heard his arm crack as he was going for a flyball. The hairline fracture will end his season as well as his time at Dean as a baseball player as he may need to undergo surgery to replace some ligaments he may have damaged from the fracture.
With his baseball career over, Obst has some regrets that if given the chance to go back and change, he would do in a heartbeat. “When I first got here, I was immature because I came in too cocky thinking I was going to get everything handed to me. College baseball humbled me as I also tore my labrum my freshman year at Dean and missed the whole season, and right after that, I learned nothing in this game is handed to you. You need to work hard to get results. Looking back at it, I would take it more seriously because I have had two years cut short, and I lost my senior year. Everything happens for a reason though, so I hope this makes me a better person, but my time at Dean has been a weird one.”
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