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Sports

Kingsbury gets it done the right way

by LOURDES CASTILLO
The Daily Cougar

There were some who didn't think highly of senior infielder Dustin Kingsbury when he began his UH career back in 2004. That probably had something to do with the "walk-on" label he carried around during his first season.

That didn't stop Kingsbury, a Pasadena native, from setting a few lofty goals he planned to accomplish while at UH. One such goal was to earn a scholarship so he wouldn't have to continue paying for his education.

He didn't have to wait long to achieve his goal. Kingsbury was awarded a scholarship following a breakout sophomore season in which he batted .341 and recorded a team-leading 58 RBIs.

"That was the biggest goal I had at the time, to earn my way through college," he said. "(Now), I've done that."

However, the road to a successful collegiate career was a rough one. In 2004, the Cougars lost a few players due to injuries and freshmen such as Kingsbury were called upon to step up and contribute. 

Kingsbury couldn't adapt quickly enough, and he struggled profusely. That left some wondering if he would ever become a successful ballplayer at the collegiate level.

"Everyone thought I wasn't going to be any good," Kingsbury said. "That was a low point in my career, but the coaches believed in me and I believed in myself. (For me) to rebound from that and show that I could play was special to me." 

The next season, Kingsbury was one of three players to start all 59 games and was named to the 2005 Conference USA All-Tournament Team. 

"I had some success at the (plate) that year and reaffirmed that I can play at this level," he said.

Even after making 147 consecutive infield starts in a UH uniform, Kingsbury follows the same routine.

Kingsbury's routine consists of one-on-one hitting practice, taking ground balls and going back to working one-on-one with a coach.

"That is something they preach here, no matter if you're up or down," he said. "You've got to have something that you always do when you play or practice."

Kingsbury has been playing baseball for the past 17 years, but he doesn't let the game define him. He'll go on living whether or not he gets an opportunity to play at the professional level.

"I'm not too worried about not playing baseball anymore," he said. "That has always been a part of me, but is not who I am. I don't think I'll be sad when I stop playing. I'll miss baseball, but it will not be the end of my life."

If given the opportunity to play at the next level, however, Kingsbury would like to either stay in Houston or book a plane ticket for New York. 

"I grew up watching the Astros, but I also like the Yankees," he said. "I like the way the (Yankees) carry themselves. Everyone says they are cocky, but cocky is just confident in my mind. Whatever it takes to win, they will do it. That's the kind of team I want to be a part of." As expected, another of Kingsbury's goals is to win a College World Series title before graduating. Second to that is graduating, of course.

"Graduating has always been a big deal for me," Kingsbury said. "It seemed like a huge obstacle when I first got here, and it felt like I couldn't see the end of the tunnel. It's something that I've worked (hard) for four years now and something I would really like to accomplish and be proud of."

Kingsbury is pursuing a degree in psychology, but he also has an interest in business. 

"I'm going to go work at a luxurious car business (after graduation), doing stuff on the sales and the buying end and work my way up," Kingsbury said. "It has little to do with my major, but psychology is something that I picked because it is very interesting to me. It's something that I enjoy learning about."

Kingsbury wants his teammates to remember him as a good teammate, rather than a guy who hit a lot of homeruns.

"I want to be the guy that ten years from now they are still telling stories about, and talking about things I did while I was here," he said. "Records will always be broken, but tying people's shoes to the bottom of the bus or playing pranks are (things) people will always remember.

"I had it done to me and I just roll with it and laugh. It's part of the whole experience. It makes us all grow closer."

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