When watching this year’s baseball team, one player who stands out is senior outfielder Julian Boyd. Whether it be through his crafty base-stealing, clutch hitting or his continuous smiles, #5 delivers excitement and consistency for the 2023 Mavericks.
Boyd began his collegiate career playing at the Division I, and junior college level, both at the University of Nevada and Golden West College. Then, the outfielder transferred to Colorado Mesa University (CMU) and made an immediate impact, playing in 34 games and starting in 21. He finished the season with a .421 batting average, eight doubles and two home runs.
This season, the Mavericks have emphasized base-stealing as a bigger part of their offense, sitting at second in the conference in stolen bases. Boyd is a major contributor in this regard. He leads all of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), with 17 stolen bases.
Additionally, the senior leads the team in on-base percentage and doubles: .564 and 13 respectively. He is also second on the team in batting percentage (.442), hits (38), homeruns (5) and RBIs (33). However, Boyd’s best attribute may be his positive personality.
“He is very really charismatic and has a great personality. Guys love him. He gets along with a lot of different guys on our team, and he’s definitely one of our [leading] voices in our program,” assistant coach Mark Vig said.
Boyd grew up in Los Angeles, California, excelling in both baseball and football. In fact, Boyd won a 2016 football state championship, along with multiple league championships in both sports. As a highly coveted prospect, Boyd had a couple of offers after high school.
“I’ve been playing baseball since I was six years old. I’ve always split time between baseball and football from six to 18, but I got invited to the Area Code [baseball] Games my sophomore and junior year, which boosted my recruiting a lot, and had my name in draft talk in high school, which was definitely big for me in Southern California,” Boyd said.
After his first two college seasons, Boyd transferred, looking to cement himself with a staple program, and eventually chose CMU. His decision to play DII may have come as a surprise to those who followed the highly recruited product from California powerhouse St. John Bosco High School. However, Boyd pinned down his decision to a simple factor: winning.
“I could have gone to pretty much any school in Southern California, which would have given me more options in scouts,” Boyd said, “But I wanted to come somewhere where I can win, because winning is fun and I wanted to come somewhere with a rich culture. I think it’s safe to say Colorado Mesa’s culture is very rich,” Boyd said.
Boyd is a true five-tool player, with his arm, fielding ability, speed and hitting, both for power and average.
“He’s super talented, you know he’s got our best arm from the outfield and he’s our fastest player. He has astounding power at the plate for his size,” head coach Chris Hanks said.
Fans may have heard teammates call Boyd by his nickname “Juice.” Boyd offered insight as to how his unique nickname came to be.
“One day, I was just bored. I was looking for a new nickname on Instagram, and the name ‘Juice Man Jewett’ rang so well, the name stuck with me,” Boyd said. “Juice kind of has different definitions, but I named myself that because I’m kind of charming, and I used to get my way a lot when I was younger in high school.”
When talking with teammates and coaches, everyone raved about Boyd’s personality. His teammate, junior Harrison Rodgers, told a story about how Boyd always keeps the team morale up.
“When we were at Chico State [University], we were losing and I had a play at first where I thought I was safe, the umpire called me out and I was kind of heated from the moment. I came back into the dugout, and everyone else in the dugout was all serious,” Rodgers said. “Julian comes out from the back of the dugout smiling and goes, ‘Can we all just smile a little bit?’ He just helps us bring it back to center and puts it into perspective that we get to play a kid’s game.”
Associate head coach Sean McKinney also shared a story about Boyd’s personable demeanor.
“Julian and I like different kinds of music. I named my son after a band and a song that was from my genre, and he was willing to hear it. We sat together and listened to it, he absorbed it and he loved it. That just goes to show how dynamic his personality is. It meant a lot to me that he wanted to sit down and listen to that with me,” McKinney said.
Fans can next see Boyd’s on-field talent and upbeat personality on April 14 when the Mavericks host Rollins College for a three-game series.
