Does Argyle High School junior Austin Aune know what “Bo Knows”? The Argyle junior is a two-sport standout at AHS, leading the Eagles football team to a 9-3A district championship and three rounds into the playoffs in the fall, and batting .495 with five home runs for the baseball team last spring.
Aune appears to be picking up right where he left off last baseball season so far, batting over .520 on the year in 2011 and serving as the Eagles’ number one pitcher.
Head football coach Todd Rodgers said he has been quite impressed with Aune’s abilities.
“He’s unique,” Rodgers said. “He has a very good feel for both sports. He is a very hard worker in the weight room. He’s a good track athlete, and he just likes to be on top of his game. Austin likes to be better than anybody he faces.”
At 6′ 3” and 185 lbs, Aune already possesses good size for a college level quarterback, and Rodgers said there is no doubt in his mind that Aune will fit right in at his college of choice, Texas Christian University.
“Austin is definitely a college athlete,” Rodgers said. “He is going to do well at the college level, because he is blessed with great athleticism. You put that with a great work ethic and his intelligence, and my guess is he will exceed expectations at TCU.”
Aune said he chose TCU for a couple of reasons, and said he is excited to have already made his commitment, so he can focus on his goals for next season of helping to lead Argyle to state championships in both baseball and football.
“TCU is a great fit for me,” Aune said. “It’s close to home, and I really have good chemistry with the coaches. That was a big thing for me. They are really great guys, and, of course, TCU is going to let me play baseball and football, and that was a big deal for me, too.”
Aune said he believes playing baseball and football at Argyle has really prepared him well for college sports.
“Going to Argyle has given me a lot of varsity experience in both sports,” Aune said. “Moving here from Coppell, I came from a school where I could have only played one sport. Moving to Argyle in the eighth grade really kind of gave me the chance to experiment with football. I think it turned out pretty well.”
Aune was the 2010 Co-District MVP in football, and was Utility Player of the Year last year in baseball and was an honorable mention on the all-state team.
Aune said he is really impressed with the coaching staffs at TCU, and said getting to work with those staffs is one of the things to which he is looking forward the most.
“I read some articles about coach [Gary] Patterson, and how he gets low recruited guys and turns them into NFL prospects,” Aune said. “I feel like the coaching at TCU is really good, and I feel like they are going to make me the best football player and baseball player I can be.”
Head baseball coach Ricky Griffin said Aune plays center field when he is not on the mound for the Eagles, and said one thing in particular impresses him about his junior pitcher.
“For me, it’s how easy he makes the game look,” Griffin said. “It doesn’t look like he’s putting a lot of effort into being as good as he is, but that is just because he is talented and the game comes easy to him.”
Griffin said he does not have any concerns about Aune playing football, and actually, it is quite the contrary.
“I think him being a quarterback and playing football lends itself to him being able to concentrate as well as he does in baseball, whether it be on the mound or at the plate or in the field” Griffin said.
Aune said whether he likes football better or baseball better really depends on what season it is, but when given the hypothetical scenario of getting through college, and being offered a contract to play in the NFL or MLB, Aune said he could make a choice.
“I’d take the MLB contract,” Aune said. “It would be a longer career, so I’d have to go with that one.”
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