Despite his move from Montana to Texas, one thing that didn’t change for Walt Evans is his love of baseball. For Evans, baseball is life, and his passion is visible though his dedicated work ethic and the countless hours he spends either playing or watching baseball.
Evans sat down with me to talk about the biggest change coming from Big Sky Country to the Lone Star State, how he hopes baseball remains in his life and to tell me about his various superstitions.
When did you start playing baseball?
When I was really little, probably around four years old. I mostly started out with backyard baseball though just playing wiffle ball with my parents. I started at t-ball, and it was a lot of fun. That was back when it didn’t really matter if you went 4-4 or 0-4 it was all just for fun.
Have you ever played any other sports?
I have I played basketball when I was little, hockey and pretty much everything but I dropped it to focus on baseball once I got to high school.
When did you move to San Antonio?
My junior year a day before school started. We took a three day drive down from Montana. It should have taken four but we drove during the night one day. It was a long drive with the dogs in the car.
Was it a sudden move or did you expect it?
I probably knew two months before we took the move. It was pretty hard to let go of everything in Montana after being there so long for six years. I had a lot of friends since I was in elementary school.
What was the biggest change coming from Montana to Texas baseball wise?
I’d probably say the pitching is a lot better here. You don’t really see guys throwing 90 [mph] very often in Montana. I don’t think I ever saw 90 in Montana, but I’ve seen probably more than a dozen guys throw 90 here just in a year of being here playing baseball.
What about in general, the difference between Montana and Texas?
Well, going from a state where the whole place is a million people to a city that’s two million people, there’s just a lot more stuff to do here, a lot more people. It’s just a lot more urban. I lived out in a place that had only 25,000 people, which is big for the state, so to come here is pretty cool.
What city did you live in?
Helena, it’s the capital. It’s a pretty small capital.
What makes Alamo Heights baseball unique compared to some of the other places you’ve played?
It’s really tightly knit. Everything is here that you want it to be. You don’t really have to go outside what they call the “bubble.” Everything is right here for you. Everybody is a tight community. It’s nice to have that community because everyone is backing you up.
What has been your favorite memory with Alamo Heights baseball?
I have a lot of good memories but I’d say top two is pitching against Dripping Springs when we beat them. They were a really good team. I know a lot of other people have said that, but it was really cool to be up there on the bump and shutting down a team that I think was top 25 in the state. Then this year, even though it’s not done yet, it’s pretty fun to win so much, being [undefeated] in district so far. We’ve got to keep that going.
What is your next step after high school?
I’m going to go to the University of the Incarnate Word and play baseball for them.
Do you prepare differently when you know you will pitch in a game?
I don’t think so unless I’m starting. I’ll not stretch with the team I’ll just go out and play long toss with the catcher, but otherwise if I know I’m coming in relief it’s just the same as any other day because I’m primarily focused before I come in relief on hitting and playing in the field. I want to be where my feet are.
Does it affect you being in the field during a game while not knowing if later on you will be on the mound?
Maybe it’s in the back of my head, but I don’t think it really affects me a lot. There was I game that I started against Lamar when we beat them and I pitched for two or three innings and then came back in for the final batter we would’ve seen. It was weird starting out the game and then coming back in for what could’ve been a save. That was an awkward situation, but it was pretty funny to me when Coach Thompson came over and said ‘Hey, you might come in to pitch,’ and I thought, ‘Dang, I’ve never really heard of a pitcher coming out of a game and coming in to pitch.’
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
Yeah I have a lot. For my tennis shoes I put my left tennis shoe on before my right tennis shoe but for my cleats I put my right cleat on before my left. I keep my batting gloves and glove in the same spot on the bench every game facing in the same direction. I wear the same pair of pajamas before I go to bed each night when there’s a game the next day and I wear the same underwear on game day.
Did anything spark that?
When I had a good game I thought back to what I did the day before or during that day and I just kept doing it. I think it’s all about my mental state, so I’ve got to stay positive and keep everything the same so I don’t have to worry about too many things.
What’s your go-to song before a game?
I’m not really picky about what plays directly before a game, like in the locker room. I listen to whatever then, but whenever I drive down to school I listen to country music. I like Jon Pardi a lot, George Strait or Midland, they’re one of my favorite bands.
How about if you had to sing any song karaoke right now, which would you choose?
Probably “Dirt on My Boots” by Jon Pardi. That’s a good one.
What’s your dream job outside of baseball?
I’ve never really thought about it that much because I want my career to be in baseball. I want to eventually coach in high school or in college, so I haven’t really thought much outside of that but probably being a teacher or something involved in languages because I like French and Spanish and I’ve taken them for four and five years each.
Who is your favorite sports team?
The Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re a lot of fun to watch. I’ve been watching them since I grew up in Montana they were always on at the perfect time, around six or seven o’clock, so I’d just turn on the TV and listen to Vin Scully before he retired. That was a lot of fun because he was such a good broadcaster. It just kind of took off from there. I really like the players. I think they’re good guys and they’re fun to watch like Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. All those guys are fun.
Who is your favorite Dodger of all-time?
I’d say Kike Hernandez is my favorite just because the way that he has a lot of fun at the game. He’s a fun guy to watch. He hit two home runs the other night, so that was cool. I try to model my game after him especially because he’s a utility guy and I can play a lot of positions just like him, so he’s good to look up to.
Who will win the World Series this year?
Of course I want to say the Dodgers, but I have a feeling that the Phillies or the Astros are going to take it home this year.
What’s your favorite television program?
I don’t really watch any TV to be honest. All I watch on TV is baseball and some other sports. I mean I’ve seen The Office, I’ve seen Parks and [Recreation], but that’s about it.
If you were stranded on an island with one person, who would you choose and why?
If I’m there to have a good time I’d probably want someone like like George Strait to go there and sing, so I’d choose him.
If you could have dinner with three people, past or present, who would they be and why? What would you eat?
I’d choose Kike Hernandez, George Strait and probably Augie Garrido. We’d eat fajitas.
What would that conversation go like?
I don’t know because you’re getting two guys from the same profession and then a country singer, so it would probably be a whole bunch of different things.
If you had to tell the world one thing about yourself, what would you say?
Keep on eye out for us this year. We’re going to do good things.