So many baseball players across the country go straight from the “Rites of Spring” to becoming one of the “Boys of Summer” and Drew Salyers is certainly no exception to that rule.
Fresh off his junior season as a vital contributor to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire baseball team, Salyers dusted off his glove and bat to be one of the key cogs on the Eau Claire Bears Chippewa River Baseball League (CRBL) squad.
And calling him a key cog to either team is certainly no understatement.
The outfielder was recently one of nine members from his squad who were named to the CRBL All-Star team and his exceptional play on the baseball diamond have helped the Bears contend for the League’s South Division crown all season long.
As for Salyers numbers and accomplishments as a Blugold, they are too many to actually list in his three seasons with the team.
During the recently completed 2024 Blugolds’ campaign, Salyers scored 39 runs — tallying eight home runs — on 44 hits with 25 RBIs and posting an overall .308 percentage batting average. That was just this season alone. He has been racking up the accolades and numbers for UW-Eau Claire for three seasons now.
In 2023, he was named early in the season to the prestigious D3baseball.com Team of the Week, thus becoming the first player in Blugold program history to earn the honor. During that sophomore season, he played in 37 games and made 36 starts and posted a .289 batting average with 33 hits in 114 at-bats.
Additionally, he hit nine doubles, four triples and three home runs. His four triples tied for the second-best single-season total in Blugold program history. Salyers also drove in 16 runs and scored 26 of his own and stole 11 bases.
As a freshman, Salyers played in 32 games for the Blugolds with 26 hits on 86 at-bats. He tallied 24 runs and 18 RBIs and hit seven doubles, one triple, and two home runs. He finished 2022 with a .302 batting average and a .477 slugging percentage. He was third on the team with 12 stolen bases.
Not bad for the young man from Chicago who grew up in Centennial, Colorado, and knows a little something about being devoted to two baseball teams.
“I grew up in Chicago and we moved when I was 10,” Salyers, who said he’s a fan of both the Cubs and the Rockies.
His favorite player?
Actually, there are two, current Colorado Rockies star Charlie Blackmon and former MLB superstar Alfonso Soriano.
Speaking about Soriano, Salyers admitted that the journeyman former Major Leaguer did a little bit of everything on the diamond and “He’s my go-to baseball player.” He added that he was a particular fan of his “unique batting stance.”
So how did Salyers go from being just a fan of the sport to being a standout player in baseball?
“My dad and grandpa, they played baseball. Growing up, I played basketball and football,” he said.
What turned his attention to becoming a star baseball player was his belief in trying to attempt the things he thought were most difficult and excelling in them, nailing them.
“I believe it’s the hardest sport,” Salyers said, explaining that “You only have success in it 30 percent of the time.”
If you’re lucky, that is. And Salyers has certainly been one of the fortunate ones and his stellar numbers speak for themselves.
But possessing sheer talent is only part of Salyers story. Ask either of his coaches and they will expound upon his knack for hitting, but they will also praise his leadership skills and the values he brings to the team off the diamond as being just as integral as his playing ability.
“Drew has been an awesome addition to our team. He is a big bat that fits well in the heart of our order and also brings an element of speed on the base paths that has helped us win games. Drew is also an awesome kid to have around off the field as well,” Bears manager Blake Johnson told the Leader-Telegram.
Blugold head baseball coach Patrick Reilly echoes similar comments to Johnson’s when asked about just what Salyers brings to the team.
“Drew has been an absolute pleasure to work with since our staff took over,” Reilly said, adding, “He’s been very receptive to taking on a larger role both on the field and in the dugout and has allowed us to coach him. He has really matured over the past 12 months and I believe his best baseball is ahead of him. He is going to play a large role in turning this program around and we are very proud he’s with us.”
As evidence of the exceptional athletic skills both coaches mentioned, Salyers said he has played just about every position there is on the diamond.
“I consider myself a utility player,” Salyers, who said that early on he was both a catcher and a second baseman. During his freshman years at UWEC he played shortstop and was put in centerfield during this past collegiate season.
An exercise science major at UW-Eau Claire — with an eye toward pursuing a career in medical sales once he graduates — Salyers said the reason he chose to become a Blugold was simple.
“Baseball is the short answer,” Salyers readily admitted. Coming from a high school with only 2,500 people attending it, “I wanted to go to a bigger school. I looked at the WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) and saw that I could have a social life and play sports at a big school.”
His official bio on the UW-Eau Claire athletics website further details his choice. “It was the best fit for me. I wanted to be able to play baseball, go to a bigger school, and get a good education. Eau Claire allowed me to do all three,” he states.
What made the 21-year-old choose the Bears for his summer play also brought a simple answer from Salyers. After playing in summer leagues in Southern California and West Palm Beach, Florida, during his freshman and sophomore years as a Blugold, he decided that he wanted to play locally while he took summer classes at UWEC.
“Blake (Johnson, Bears field manager) runs the Bears and I kind of told him that I was interested and he was interested in talking,” Salyers said.
The rest is history, of course, and it’s a decision Salyers has not regretted. Nor has he ever lamented his choice of deciding to attend UWEC, it’s a university and a city that speaks to both his core values and genuinely positive sensibilities.
“I like the people in the area a lot. Everyone is very, very kind,” Salyers said.
As are his teammates on both teams. Speaking about his novice experience with the Bears solicits only positive words from Salyers.
“I’ve never played on a team with people who are not all my age,” Salyers said, adding that the veteran experience of many on the squad has only proven to strengthen his game. Many of these long-time Bears have “been around the block and they give me good advice.”
Heaping praise on both Johnson and Reilly, Salyers said the Bears leader has not only been welcoming to him, but also serves as a role model for the type of leader he aspires to be.
As for his Blugold coach, Reilly, who recently completed his first season as skipper for the UWEC squad, Salyers thinks the university hired the right person for the rebuilding job ahead for the Blugolds’ baseball program.
“He’s a players coach and he’s brought a lot of structure and organization to the program,” Salyers said, adding that “He is very open to communication from the players. I think the program is going in such a better direction than it was.”
One might think playing for two different coaches back-to-back during his jam-filled spring and summer baseball seasons might be difficult, but Salyers handles it with both ease and aplomb, two qualities he possesses that makes him an interesting and comfortable person to have a sit down interview with.
“It depends on the managerial styles. If a coach is very good, it’s an easy adjustment” and one that has proven seamless for Salyers, especially transitioning between Reilly’s coaching style and Johnson’s leadership approach.
With his hectic academic and athletic schedule filling up most of his own personal roster time, Salyers admits that it provides him very little time to return to the Centennial State to visit his family or to pursue his outside interests. He does, however, make sure he sets aside some spare days on his calendar to do both.
“I pretty much only have time to get back to Colorado in December (during the winter break) and maybe a month total in the summer,” Salyers said, admitting that when his schedule is less hectic he enjoys fishing, working out, attending Express baseball games and spending time with his friends both at home and here in Eau Claire.
He also makes sure to find time to support his fellow Blugold athletics during their sports seasons and you can often find him at other UWEC games, especially during football and hockey seasons. Attending those games is a form of encouragement that Salyers feels is important and provides a bond between all players.
Finding the time to give his fellow Blugolds support during their sports seasons is something Salyers feels is important and it clearly shows what type of team player he really is.
And whether he’s donning a Blugolds baseball jersey or a Bears one, Salyers knows that being a team player is essential to being a valuable player. Those are key traits that any successful athlete must possess and they are attributes that make him stand out in a positive way whether playing baseball or simply enjoying all Eau Claire has to offer.
You might even say it makes him the ultimate utility player both on the diamond and off of it.
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