MSU Baseball Feature: Mayes Making Own Mark As Legacy Spartan
5/17/2023 6:33:00 PM | Baseball
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By: By Harvey Rouleau for msuspartans.com
A sense of comfort comes over Michigan State baseball's senior outfielder Casey Mayes when he walks through Jenison Field House every week.
Mayes is a legacy Spartan. His mom, Tracy, competed for the track & field team when she was at MSU. His dad, Craig, was a member of the MSU baseball team from 1989-92, earning All Big-Ten honors as a catcher in his senior year.
"Sometimes my mom being an athlete here gets overlooked because of baseball and my dad, but she was a very good athlete. Everyone in our family thinks that she is probably the best athlete of the three of us, which I agree with. It is unbelievable to go into Jenison everyday and know that is where my mom competed," Mayes said.
Mayes went to high school in Wichita, Kansas, where his parents still live. When he made his college decision, it came down to two choices: either staying home to play for Wichita State or continue the family tradition and play for Michigan State.
"The legacy part of it with my parents coming here and both being athletes, obviously, was a part of it. But outside of that I am in love with Spartan football and basketball and I fell in love with the campus. The atmosphere outside of athletics and great education, there is really nothing to not like," Mayes said.
Mayes' understanding of how special MSU is as a university in athletics and academics because of him and his parents' relationship with the school has been something that the baseball program and head coach Jake Boss Jr. have always liked about him. Mayes has been wearing Spartan Green & White his whole life.
"We want guys that want to come to Michigan State, first and foremost. He was one of those, I think it is really important that guys are passionate about Michigan State and about putting the green and white jersey on. It means a little bit more to a guy like that, especially early in his career because he has been raised that way and he understands how special it is to be at a place like this," Boss said.
Now in his fifth season at MSU, due to the NCAA's COVID-19 extension, Mayes is one of the oldest players on the team. Ultimately, it means his leadership role on the team has increased but inherently, he has always seen things in the same way.
"I think when you are in a leadership role there is more expected of you, staying even-keeled is expected. Getting younger and older guys all on the same page. I think that since I was a freshman, I have kind of been like that. So just being older and having the experience under my belt also helps," Mayes said.
Boss believes Mayes does exactly what they need from him, lead as if he were a coach.
"Casey knows how we want to do things around here, and those types of guys are extensions of the coaching staff. We lean on those guys to help set the standard and he has been a big part of that for sure," Boss said.
Mayes' performance on the field throughout his career has been good, but his success off the field has been just as good. Mayes has now earned two consecutive Spartan Academic Excellence for Scholar-Athlete Awards, which is awarded to one individual from each Athletic program. On top of that, he has been a three-time Academic All Big-Ten while at MSU. These accomplishments have meant just as much to him and his family, if not more than his on the field accolades.
"They (his family) have expressed how proud they are of me. You have to be a student, you can not just be an athlete. There is a balance there and I think they did a great job of teaching me how to balance them," Mayes said. Mayes has been taking the field at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field
since he was a little Spartan.
Mayes' success off the field has undoubtedly made an impact on his teammates and set an example for how they have to go about their business. That will not be the only thing Mayes will be remembered for when his time as a Spartan concludes this spring.
"I want to be remembered as someone that helped create the culture that we have now. The culture hasn't always been what it is this year. I think that I have gotten the opportunity to play a big part in changing that. Just how guys are treated, freshmen through seniors. Culture is one thing I will be remembered for, for sure," Mayes said.
Mayes has started in all 49 games for the Spartans thus far and has been the cornerstone of their outfield. He has done his job in helping lead MSU battle through a grueling season, and battling for a berth in the Big Ten Tournament. One of the biggest attributes that screams from Mayes' game, his speed, which he has used to his benefit by setting the single-season and career triples mark in program history with seventh and 14, respectively.
"His speed plays, he is an easy guy to put in the lineup because of his speed tool, first of all. He gets down the line well, and he is able to track down balls in the outfield well. When you can run like that, you have the chance to do some pretty good things. Then again, his experience is also a pretty big part of that too. He has played a lot of baseball," Boss said.
The success MSU has found to this point in the season has been in part to a few vital focuses that the squad had in mind going into this season.
"The focus has been on quality at-bats and picking up your teammate. I think that it's been so much more of a team-oriented focus," Mayes said. "Then you throw in guys like Brock (Vradenburg) and Trent (Farquhar) who are raking and it does not hurt. You look at our arms out of the bullpen and they have been able to throw really well lately too. Put those pieces together and it is really fun."
The ultimate goal is to go as far as possible as a team this season, but either way, Mayes hopes after this year to continue to follow in his dad's footsteps. His dad played professional baseball after his time at Michigan State and Casey wants to do the same.
"Ideally, any opportunity that I get to play professionally I will take. I would love to continue playing. It has always been a dream of mine," Mayes said.
