Family First for Gavin Casas
Family is everything to Gavin Casas. South Carolina’s junior first baseman has seen the highs of having his brother Triston play for the Boston Red Sox and the lows of having his mother, Christine, pass away when he was eight years old.
“It taught me that life is short,” Casas said of his mother’s death. “It taught me that you can’t ever take things for granted. It kind of made me grow up a little quicker. The mother is usually the more nurturing type of parent. In my case, I didn’t grow up with that. My father (Jose) was on it. To take my mind off of her, we started playing baseball.”
Baseball provided a needed distraction, and the Casas boys flourished.
“Baseball got a lot more serious,” Casas said. “I still think about my mom every day. It’s something I have to deal with and think about on a daily basis. The lessons I have learned from her loss made me into the person that I am today. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and it made me grow as a better person.”
“My strengths lie between the ears. I’ve dealt with so much adversity over the years and so many things that have happened in my life. It taught me to be tenacious and to just keep going.”
(Above Photo: Triston, Jose, and then 11-year-old Gavin Casas)
Hailing from Pembroke Pines, Florida, Gavin played the last two years at Vanderbilt where he hit .279 after battling some injuries and transferred to South Carolina this past year.
“I had a lot of great times at Vanderbilt,” Casas said. “Going on the road for SEC games is a great opportunity to see other facilities and the environment at other stadiums. I thought this was the best stadium we ever went to. This stadium is absolutely beautiful, and the environment was electric. I thought this was a place I could see myself playing, and I’m glad to be here.”
Triston was selected in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox and worked his way up to the big club last year. Gavin learned a lot from his brother and hopes to someday follow in his footsteps and play in the Major Leagues, perhaps while sitting in the opposite dugout since they both play first base.
“My brother is a year and four months older than I am. Growing up, we always played together, and there was always that sibling rivalry,” Casas said. “We’re super close. We talk a couple of times a week. We’re both super busy, but we make it work.
“I think we both contribute to each other’s games. He probably does a little bit more because of the experience and the level that he is at. It’s mostly mental because baseball is a super mental game. Sometimes it’s just mindsets, so if I can pick up something or find something that makes sense, I’ll pick it up.”
Family life is good now for the Casas family. Jose found another partner in Ursulina Schwartz, who has been a big part of Gavin’s life.
“She has been in my life for a long time,” Casas said. “She has done an amazing job with both me and my brother. I love her to death. She has been there for us when we were struggling financially, and if there was any baseball equipment we needed, or if we needed help to put food on the table, she has been with us through it all. I can’t thank her enough.
“My strengths lie between the ears. I’ve dealt with so much adversity over the years and so many things that have happened in my life. It taught me to be tenacious and to just keep going.”
Top of Page Photo Credit – Erica Hudock/The Daily Gamecock
