Austin Frisk found the right school for him to pursue two of his favorite subjects — math and baseball.
One of the top scholar-athletes at Sierra High, Frisk has committed to playing ball for Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
Sierra administrators honored the achievement on Thursday, as athletic director Andrew Lee led a short ceremony in which Frisk inked a celebratory signing form with the NCAA Division III school in front of coaches, teammates, family and friends who intended in-person at the Sierra cafeteria or watched from afar on Zoom.
Frisk said he has not yet decided on a major or career path but said math will be likely be involved in both. Sierra coach Travis Thomson is not surprised that Frisk is headed to a well-regarded engineering school that gets high marks from the U.S. News & World Report College Guide and Princeton Review.
“He's ranked top 10 or 15 (in his class) and that's impressive at our school,” Thomson said. “They get after it in the academics here. On the baseball field he's the type of player we need more of. He's a learner, and he's the type of guy who takes it home and expands on it on his own.
“He's self-motivated, smart and hard working with two supportive parents who have done a great job with him and his brother.”
Frisk joins older brother Hunter in the NCAA Division III ranks — the 2018 Sierra grad plays first base and pitches for Lakeland University in Wisconsin.
Frisk visited the campus in February and met with longtime coach Jeff Jenkins, who doubles as athletic director.
“They sent me some emails letters in the mail, so I did a little research and I ended up liking it a lot and all the stuff it has to offer me,” Frisk said. “When I went out there to visit in February I loved the campus. It just felt like it was a great place for me.”
The Fightin' Engineers compete in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Jenkins is in his 32nd year as the head baseball coach, 19th as athletic director. Last year, he became the ninth active and 22nd all-time NCAA Division III coach to win 800 games.
Rose-Hulman's best seasons were in 2014 and 2016 when they reached the NCAA Division II Central Regional championship round.
Frisk currently pitches and plays in the outfield for Sierra, but Thomson said his versatility should serve him well at the next level.
“Early in his high school career started he played a lot of infield, but we needed more help in the outfield and in a heartbeat he was all in because that's what the team needed,” Thomson said. “He has shined as an outfielder, he continues to do a great job as a pitcher and offensively he's our leadoff hitter. In every aspect of the game he has shined for our team.”
After his junior season was cut short by the pandemic, Frisk is glad to have one last go-around with his Sierra teammates.
“I've grown up with a lot of these guys, and I want us to do well in my last season with them,” he said.
