Beyond the game: Battle pitcher Tyler Putnam

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Battle pitcher Tyler Putnam went 'Beyond the Game' with ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones, as the senior has a 'summer of decisions' ahead of him, following his final season playing for the Spartans.

You can find the full transcript of the interview below.

Nathalie Jones: "What's up? We're at Battle High School going Beyond the Game with baseball star Tyler Putnam. Tyler, when did you start falling in love with the game of baseball?"

Tyler Putnam: "Yeah, it was right around the time, I would say I was 12 or 13, so I was always a basketball kid growing up. Basketball was actually my first love, and then, right around the time that I transitioned into taking baseball more seriously is when I kind of started falling in love with it and realizing that, you know, I could go a long way with it."

Nathalie: "So what do you love about baseball? What is it about this game?"

Tyler: "I just, I love the ability to just go out there and, you know, chuck some baseballs pretty hard and I love the energy surrounding it, so like a big strikeout in the late inning, you know, I'm always pumped up or, you know, seeing the ball go over the fence out there. It's, it's an unbeatable feeling and I just love it so much."

Nathalie: "Well, you have a really big summer ahead. I mean, you have Tennessee on the books. You have the MLB on the books. Tell me just about your summer. What's coming up for you?"

Tyler: "Yeah, I've just got a summer of decisions is what I'd call it. You know, I've got two really good options whether or not I wanna pursue my college commitment and signing or if I want to enter my name into the draft and and pursue a professional career out of high school. So, it is definitely is a big summer for me and, you know, it'll be fun for sure."

Nathalie: "What's it like being in the midst, I guess, of such a big time in your life?" 

Tyler: "I don't know. It's a lot of feelings, you know. I don't know if I'm ready to, you know, move across the country yet or if I'm wanting to stay here for a little bit longer, but, you know, it's super fun just to see, you know, me live out these dreams that I've had since I was a little kid, and, you know, nothing can beat that feeling and so the excitement surrounding it is just, it's unbeatable."

Nathalie: "Tell me something that people don't know about Tyler Putnam."

Tyler: "I would say a lot of people don't know that I'm actually a left-handed basketball player. You know, you see me out on the mound and I'm throwing right-handed, I'm hitting right-handed, and, you know, when I'm on the court, I'm shooting left-handed. So, a lot of people don't know that, and they'll find out, you know, whenever they see me play and so it's always a jaw dropper and it's the only thing I do left-handed, other than shoot pool , so it's kind of interesting. I don't really know where I got it from, but you know it is definitely something interesting about me."

Nathalie: "Well, Tyler, good luck with your summer and folks. You just went Beyond the Game with Tyler Putnam."