Kyle Boylston is a standout two-sport student-athlete, and he, along with his teammates, will strive to get their St. Johns Country Day School baseball program over the final hurdle that has eluded them so far in their high school careers.
The Spartans have played for the FHSAA Class 2A state championship in two of the last three seasons. Despite winning 73 games over that stretch, including a 26-5 record last year and a 24-7 record in 2021, St. Johns Country Day came up short both times. The Out-of-Door Academy defeated St. Johns Country Day in the 2021 state championship, while last season the Lakeland Christian School Vikings handed the Spartans a 5-2 loss in the state finals.
But for St. Johns Country Day head baseball coach Tom Lucas, knowing he has a student-athlete with the character and talent that Boylston possesses gives him as good a chance as he has ever had.
“Kyle has played baseball for me since he was 9 years old,” Lucas said. “He is a great student and a great kid with a high GPA and is able to excel in two sports at the highest level, which is very tough to do.”
Boylston is also a three-star safety in football. His performance on both the baseball diamond and on the gridiron has earned him a college scholarship offer from Florida Atlantic University to play both baseball and football for the Owls.
While he is a three-star recruit on the football field, he may be even better at baseball.
“Kyle is a rare five-tool player,” Lucas said. “He is our fastest player and can throw it over 90 mph from the outfield. He has the speed to cover the OF from foul pole to foul pole, and that is very rare for a high school player to do that.”
Lucas said that Boylston also has tremendous strength, a trait he developed from his football training.
“Kyle began hitting it really hard in the weight room about two years ago, and he has been putting on a lot of muscle and developed a lot more power,” Lucas said.
Of course, power is one of the tools that a five-tool player has, and Lucas said it has come through for Boylston.
“Last season, he hit over .400 for us for most of the year, and that’s against some of the best talent in the country,” Lucas said, explaining that St. Johns Country Day plays a national schedule against the top baseball programs in the country.
While Boylston has been able to play with St. Johns Country Day’s baseball program since he enrolled at the Orange Park school as a seventh-grader, he has been forced to attend other schools during the fall to fulfill his football dreams.
“Kyle played football here at St. Johns during his ninth-grade year, but the football program was canceled before the next football season,” Lucas said.
Because of the flexibility offered in the FHSAA’s transfer rules, Boylston was able to stick with his St. Johns Country Day baseball team while also playing football for Sandalwood High School his sophomore season and for Trinity Christian Academy the past two seasons.
According to Lucas, Boylston takes classes online as a Florida Virtual School student.
As St. Johns Country Day prepares for the upcoming baseball season, Lucas said Boylston will be considered as an MLB draft prospect.
“He is one of four guys that we will have on the MLB draft boards,” Lucas said.
Not every player is good enough to have a football and baseball scholarship waiting on them, either. The talented Boylston will likely have some tough choices to make.
“Baseball is his first love, and Kyle will tell you that, but he also loves football too,” Lucas said.
So what does the coach himself think about where Boylston’s future lies?
“I think it’s going to be up to Kyle and where he ultimately is projected to be in the MLB draft,” Lucas said. “But he is athletic enough to excel in either sport. He will have a big choice to make, but I learned a long time ago with Kyle to never doubt him.”
Kyle Boylston and his St. Johns Country Day team will play in USA Baseball’s 2024 National High School Invitational, which will be held on April 10-13 in Cary, North Carolina. The Spartans are one of only 16 teams from around the country invited to take part in this prestigious event.
