When Cody Guymon started his collegiate career, it would have been hard for him to imagine being named to the Mountain West Conference baseball first-team. Not only was he not even a part of the MWC, he was in a frustrating situation that left him with eight RBIs and a .200 batting average at the end of his first season.
This week in Fort Worth, Texas, Guymon will be looked upon as a leader of the U baseball team that is looking for a successful MWC tournament.
On Monday, Guymon and teammate Stephen Fife were two of 13 players named to the 2008 MWC first-team. Guymon was selected to the team as a designated hitter and spearheaded the Utes by batting better than .400 in conference play and added five home-runs and 21 RBIs.
“It was a great honor, but I’m really trying to stay focused and finish off the year strong,” Guymon said. “It’s been a goal of ours to win conference all year and we’re hitting our stride at the right time.”
Guymon, grew up in Livermore, Calif., and spent most of his childhood racing BMX bikes with his dad until the age of 10. Games of whiffleball soon turned into a love for baseball.
“I was kind of a late bloomer you could say,” Guymon said.
The junior finance major found success at Livermore High and was named a 2005 Puma All-American for his efforts. That year he also threw out an astonishing 85 percent of would-be base stealers from the catcher’s position. In search of continued success, Guymon attended nearby St. Mary’s College and in 2006 played in 24 games but only mustered a .200 batting average to go along with his eight RBIs.
“Me and the coaching staff didn’t really see eye-to-eye on many things, so I transferred here to the U and I couldn’t be happier with the way things have worked out,” Guymon said.
One thing St. Mary’s did do for Cody was help him prepare for the struggles of tough MWC competition.
“We had 5:30 a.m. daily workouts at St. Mary’s which really prepared me physically, as well as taught me valuable time management skills,” Guymon said.
Now it seems like it has all paid off for Guymon and the Utes, who had a rough start to their season but have since righted the ship just in time for the MWC tournament.
“It was tough to start the year indoors,” Guymon said. “And while the wins weren’t always there, we played hard and did what we had to so we could get to where we are now.”
Where they are now is in the thick of the MWC tournament as the Utes entered as one of the hottest teams in the league and are looking to turn a few heads down in Texas. Following the conclusion of the MWC tournament, Guymon will serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Little Rock, Ark. He will leave June 18, but will keep a watchful eye on the MLB draft, which is ironically also in June.
Lennie MahlerCody Guymon congratulates a teammate on their run to build an early lead against BYU on Saturday at Franklin Covey Field. Guymon was named to the Mountain West Conference first team as a designated hitter.