University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting to Know Austin Roussel
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
This is the second of a five-part series on getting to know Southern Miss baseball players. The Golden Eagles begin their 2015 season Friday, Feb. 13, against Murray State -
Q: Why did you choose the sport of baseball?
A: I always liked baseball. It is a team sport, but you still have to do your individual job. I like that you can hold each other accountable. I loved football growing up, and in high school, and was thankful to never have any injuries and ended it on a healthy note. Baseball was just always fun to me.
Q: Who was your childhood idols?
A: I used to like watching Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. When they hit home runs they just brought excitement to the game. Even though some people think that they cheated, they still brought that excitement and intensity. I remember when they use to play each other. They would fist bump each other, if one would hit a home run. They would get excited for each other and it made it more than a game. You can be as competitive as you want to be, but still have friendships against an opponent while still trying to beat them.
Q: What makes baseball such a special game?
A: Baseball is very different from every other sport. What makes its special is that it teaches you how to deal with things in life. In life, a lot of things do not go your way. In baseball, if you get three hits out of 10 you are considered a Hall of Famer. You really need to take some positives out of getting three hits out of the 10 at bats if you are really good. You can’t just sit back and mope about things when everything goes bad. Baseball is a game of failure, so it really teaches you on how to deal with adversity. I think that is unlike any other sport, how sometimes people fail more often than not and are still considered Hall of Famers.
Q: Why did you choose Southern Miss?
A: I had a friend who loved Southern Miss and always talked about it, but I really did not know anything about the place. I remember getting a letter in the mail that said to come to our showcase camp. I didn’t think anything of it, and then I got another one. I then decided that I was going to check the place out. When I came here I was like ‘Whoa.’ Everything was beautiful, the field was perfect, the coaching staff seemed awesome and everything just felt like home. What really set it apart from other schools, I went to eat after that baseball camp and I saw all kind of fans coming from a basketball game just wearing Southern Miss stuff. Everybody just seemed to be diehard Black and Gold and I really loved that. It’s like the fans were almost like family.
Q: If you were to pick another sport to play, which one would it be?
A: I would definitely say football. In high school, I always played travel baseball but I never really pursued football in terms of going to camps and seeing what I could have done, because I always thought of baseball first. There is nothing like strapping on the pads and that opening kickoff to a game – just that intensity – going down the field trying to tackle and hit somebody.
Q: What is your academic major and why did you choose that?
A: I started off in biology and took a couple of classes and I realized that it was not for me. I switched over to construction engineering technology. I always liked to build things. Ever since I have been in that major, I have fallen in love with it. For the past two summers I have worked in the construction field and I think it is awesome seeing a building being built. It is like any sport, you work hard to get on the field to do well and it is like that in construction. You put in the time, you build the building and then once it is built you realize how beautiful it can be.
Q: What do you want to do after graduation?
A: It would be a dream come true to continue my baseball career after this season, but the reality is I will probably work somewhere in construction maybe back in South Louisiana or here. It doesn’t really matter. I can see myself working some type of construction job whether it is like overseeing a job site or being an assistant project manager.
Q: What does it mean to wear the Black and Gold?
A: Putting on the Black and Gold, ever since I came to watch my first game here, I just realized that the players were having a great time. They played the game hard. In high school and growing up, I was always taught to play the game one way and that was hard, whether you are running down to first or running on or off the field. It doesn’t matter because you never know which pitch is going to be your last. When I watched Southern Miss when I came on my visit they just played the game the way I liked it to be played. I just figured it would be really cool to wear it. Being here for the last four years, and this being my fifth (overall), just putting on my jersey is that I never take it for granted. I just think it is awesome each and every day to be an Eagle.
Q: What do you like to do when you are not playing baseball?
A: When I am back home, I like to hang out with my family and friends. I like to hunt a lot, predominantly deer hunting. Around here, whenever I am not around the baseball field, I like to ride my bike and hang around with my friends. This is my last semester that I get to be around my closest friends that I have met over the years. I just want to spend time with them, because it is going to come to an end.
