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07/30/2024 12:39 AMEvan Aubin has surveyed with his several years in baseball that you must have a positive personality that is ready to adjust on the fly. He has cultivated that quite well in becoming a superb utility player and pitcher who never lets his emotions get the best of him.
The Haddam-Killingworth baseball pitcher and infielder started in the sport at the age of 6 and never stopped with it. Evan had a very good junior spring in 2024 as a relief pitcher and shortstop for the Cougars in their 21-6 overall season record as Shoreline Conference runners-up. He threw well in 11 innings of work and a 3.18 earned-run average, holding leads in two games. Even more recently in his summer travel baseball season, he pitched a no-hitter.
“Every game and practice is so special to me. I have grown through baseball; it changed me as a person and gave me some new morals,” says Evan. “Pregame, I like to listen to music to calm down and feel my way into the game and position. You have to get into a happy mindset to be able to play at your best and perform. If the mindset is not there, it will bring your performance down. When I threw the no-hitter, I was in a great head space, and I was focused on being in the moment and just throwing the next strike.”
With a vast range of experience by playing both facets of defense, Evan details that there are some differences in the two territories. But the one constant between the two remains in that one must trust the fellow defenders around them.
“Infield and pitching are two different ways to play the game,” Evan says. “You have to be focused on what you are doing then and be ready for anything. You have to also trust the defense around you. In the infield, you have to have range and be aggressive. If not, it will take a toll on the team. Being a pitcher, you have to throw the first strike because that is what starts an at-bat. You must also cooperate with your infield and trust them.”
As a youngster, Evan would get quite discouraged whenever he encountered miscues. Yet working with some solid mentors, he learned it comes with the profession and knew he had to turn any negatives into positives by using them as teachable moments.
“A lot of my coaches helped me with my mental game. When I was younger, I would get mad at everything,” says Evan. “My coaches told me that errors are part of the game, and you have to work off the mistakes.”
Evan stretched himself quite thin across the dirt and mound this past spring–showcasing himself as the ultimate team player. Though he explains it is all about the bigger scope of the squad by giving the youth a strong role model to emulate.
“I was a utility infielder this year for H-K; wherever my coaches needed me to play, I would play,” Evan says. “I trusted my coaches and their faith in me. You have to be that leader for the underclassmen. It is up to me to not dwell on mistakes, and show them the right way.”
As his head coach, Mark Brookes states that Evan really stepped into his own as a junior this past spring. He established himself as an emerging star and leader with his hustle, skill, and overall raw talent.
“Evan has a better-than-average fastball and an excellent breaking ball. He is an excellent shortstop who played when our starting shortstop was pitching. Evan made several outstanding plays during the spring season,” says Brookes. “He is a fierce competitor and is always looking to improve. Evan always hustles and never takes a play off. These are attributes that every coach is looking for. We are counting on him to perform well in 2025.”
One asset Evan assesses in himself is how he can certainly track down real estate quite swiftly to get that tough out on defense. He explains he could use some work with the lumber, though he will use that fortified mindset to bring home base knocks.
“I think my best skills are being mobile with range in the field,” says Evan. “You have to always make that tough play in the field because that can make or break the game for your team. I think the thing I have to improve the most is my hitting, but I will certainly work on those things to improve it.”
One year removed from the most historic campaign in the Cougars’ illustrious history, Evan and the boys maybe could have been bigger cheerleaders for each other at the bat. Yet the Cougars are ready to come back even stronger and closer in trying to strive for a second state crown in three seasons.
“As a sophomore, we won the state championship. That team was perfect with the players and collective mindset we had,” says Evan. “We could have done better this year with cheering on other guys because that is important to a team. I think we will be stronger next year because I trust the seniors and what we will bring. They will be good leaders for the team.”