Austin Cousino, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, is currently in the midst of a 10 game hitting streak. On opening day, the talented outfielder found himself penciled in centerfield and in the leadoff spot for the Wildcats. PBR catches up with him to learn more about his high school career, recruiting process, and experience thus far in Lexington. 


PBR: Just to refresh our readers ... Where did you have offers from and why did you end up choosing UK?

Cousino: I had held offers from LSU, North Carolina, NC State, Louisville, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Arizona, San Diego, as well as multiple schools who had offers on the table waiting for me to visit. I chose UK because it was somewhere close and personally a great fit for me. The SEC is where I wanted to play and I felt the style of baseball Kentucky played was where I wanted to be as well.

PBR: If you were talking to a high profile prospect going through the recruiting process, what advice would you give him?

Cousino: Just go out and play as much baseball as you can. Take as many visits as you can to get a feel of the pros and cons of each school and try to picture yourself at a school without baseball.

PBR: Was there a single moment during your amateur career that you knew you were going to be playing Division I college baseball?

Cousino: The summer going into my junior year I played in an east coast tournament at NC State and preformed very well over the course of the weekend. After the championship game Sunday I was invited to the field and took an unofficial visit, receiving my first college scholarship offer by Chris Hart and the staff at NC State later in the night. It was very overwhelming considering I had yet to be recruited by any school in the mid-west at the time.

PBR: Were there any particular showcase events that helped you along the way? Did you have a breakout showcase or tournament?

Cousino: Other than the weekend are NC State, the 16u USA Junior Olympic Tournament in Jupiter, FL was probably the most influential tournament in my recruiting process. This gave me many opportunities and put me out the map.

PBR: How did travel baseball help you develop as a player and prepare you for the next level?

Cousino: Playing against other kids outside of area talent in high school ball was a great experience growing up. The chances to play at multiple college venues on the summer weekends is a great way to showcase your talents on a bigger stage, as well as see other recruits around the nation to see where you stood in comparison to them.

PBR: You had the chance to play for Brian Hopkins with the Midwest Redbirds. What did this experience mean to you?

Cousino: Playing for Coach Hopkins was definitely one of the better playing experiences in my baseball career. Throughout my two fall seasons with the Redbirds, we played at Wrigley Field, University of Kentucky, Michigan, Kent State, Miami OH, Louisville, and received great exposure at all places. Its a real laid back atmosphere playing for Coach Hopkins and makes playing the game of baseball fun again at such a high level of competition. I would encourage anyone who has the chance to play for him to do so.

PBR: What was your most memorable moment while playing at Dublin Coffman?

Cousino: I wouldn't say there was any moment in particular that was better than just playing baseball for 4 years with my closest friends that I grew up playing with. Coach Saunders taught me a lot much more than just being a good baseball player but a better person during myplaying career at Coffman.

PBR: Not many people know, but growing up, you were also a very talented hockey player. As you began to focus specifically on baseball, was it difficult to give up other sports?

Cousino: Definitely, my first dream growing up was to play college hockey and so forth but as high school approached it was either stick with football and baseball, or stay with just hockey. Giving up both football and hockey after my freshman year of high school was a tough decision, but it gave me opportunity to showcase my baseball talents more often and eventually lead myself to where I am today.

PBR: In 2009, you were selected to play on USA Baseball’s 16U team. Describe the intense selection process that you went through to be selected.

Cousino: This was probably the first time in my life that I had even felt pressure to preform in front of anyone. I was aside 35 of the best freshman and sophomores in the country, which I doubt any of us had ever been cut from a team. We were in Los Angeles for a week and we were being picked based on how we preformed in 4 scrimmages, which was pretty nerve racking.

PBR: Your high school coach, Tim Saunders, has been actively involved with the USA Baseball program? What sort of advice did he give you going into the process?

Cousino: He was very laid back and kept reminding me just to play how I played and not to change anything. He wouldn't have sent me to the Junior Olympic tournament to be looked at for the team if he didn't think I could play with kids at that level, which reassured me going into the whole process.

PBR: What was it like to play with guys like C.J. Hinojosa and Francisco Lindor? Do you stay in contact with any of the guys from that team?

Cousino: I felt privileged to say the least. Both of them were great players and I'll talk to them every now and then and catch up. I was very close with Francisco, and have talked to him about catching up with him up north here near Columbus in the near future, since he was drafted and signed by the Indians.

PBR: What was it like wearing the beating Cuba in the championship game, being named MVP, and hearing our National Anthem played?

Cousino: Overwhelming, I couldn't have done any of that without my teammates and the coaches throughout the whole duration of the games played in Taiwan. It was an honor playing and representing your country on the front of your jersey and is something that I will never forget and a feeling that no one can take away.

PBR: After experiencing such a high with Team USA, you ran into some injury problems that kept you off the field for awhile. What happened and how did this process help you mature as a player and person?

Cousino: Going into the fall of my junior year with the Midwest Redbirds, my arm progressively got weaker and painful to the point where I couldn't throw a baseball without shooting pains going up my shoulder. An MRI revealed I had a Posterior SLAP tear in my labrum and surgery in the winter would be the only thing to fix it. After about 15 months I played in the field for the first time since that fall with the Redbirds. This injury took me back to the basic of baseball, of how to throw a baseball again. Luckily my arm feels great today still, but it makes me remember to always warm up properly before games and do the things off the field to make sure I can stay on the field.

PBR: After you graduated, you skipped playing summer ball in Central Ohio and moved down to Lexington instead. Explain the reasons behind your decision.

Cousino: The coaches had brought up the idea to me going into the winter and after more thought with my parents, we believed it would be a great idea to get down and learn the area, earn some credit hours, meet some players, and lift to get a head start with college. During the summer I gained more than 20 pounds in a little over 2 months, and more importantly learned how to adjust to being on my own for the first time in my life. I think this was the most important thing I ever did in preparing for college baseball, from the stand point of being physically stronger coming into my first fall semester.

PBR: For aspiring college prospects, what sort of advice would you give them when it comes to the difference between high school/travel baseball and college baseball?

Cousino: College baseball is a full time commitment. It's very cliche to say that being a D1 is a job, but in reality it is. Everything you do is based around baseball, and classes, meals, studying, and so forth. You're going to have to lift, hit, throw, swing, and run more than you've ever had to in your life. It's a new experience and take a little to get used to, but it pay's off.

PBR: Has it been difficult juggling academics and the responsibilities of being a D1 athlete?

Cousino: No doubt. Upholding the "student" side of the student-athlete is very difficult. The biggest thing you will have to learn is managing your time wisely. The off-season of a college sport is much more demanding than any in season sport you've had in your life. Adjusting to this as quickly as possible is the best thing to do to be a successful student and athlete.

PBR: If a scout walked away from watching you play, how would you want him to describe you?

Cousino: A player who gives it his all and enjoys playing the game. The higher up you play in competition, most forget that the game is supposed to be fun. I'm guilty of losing sight of this sometime, but if you were to ask my teammates who loved the game of baseball the most out of anyone on the team, I bet it would be me.

PBR: Is there anyone that you try to model your game after?

Cousino: Not exactly any one player in particular. Pete Rose has always been one of my favorite players, but more recently I've enjoyed watching Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox. He plays great defense, pressures the opposing team on the bases, along with being a great hitter.

PBR: In 10 years, which Dublin Coffman alum will be the most famous sports figure: Mike Adams (OSU football), Jake Stoneburner (OSU football), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame/NFL QB), or Austin Cousino?

Cousino: To even be mentioned with those three is quite a feat, but I can only say time will tell. All of those athletes have had very polished collegiate careers and I can only hope mine is just as successful as theirs were.

PBR: Lastly, let’s end with a word association game. I will say a word and you respond with the first thought that comes to your mind.

PBR: The SEC
Cousino: The best conference

PBR: Coach Saunders (Coach at Coffman)
Cousino: Great coach, better person

PBR: Dublin
Cousino: Shamrocks

PBR: Ryan Leffel (freshman at OSU and former Coffman teammate)
Cousino: Solid player

PBR: Coach Bohanon (Kentucky)
Cousino: Best recruiter out there

PBR: Adam Hall (freshman at Xavier and former Coffman teammate)
Cousino: Freak athlete