Tommy McIntyre has been very fond of the world of sports. His passion developed throughout his childhood as he was often involved in club leagues and select baseball. While AISD doesn’t have middle school baseball, he pursued his love of football during his middle school years and after his three-year hiatus from school baseball, McIntyre picked it back up with full force once he came to McCallum. While he continued to play club baseball while in middle school, in high school he was able to pursue both sports on campus.

McIntyre said being able to play both baseball and football is a blessing.

“It’s a great experience being wanted to be in football and baseball,” he said. “You meet a lot of new people, you know a lot of coaches and there’s a lot of things that go well with football and baseball. Spending my Friday nights in the fall on the football field with my teammates and weekdays in the spring on the baseball field with my teammates is always a good time and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

McIntyre credits his love for baseball to his family’s history with the sport and his passion for football to luck.

“My dad played baseball in college,” he said. “Both my uncles also played, so I grew up in a baseball family. Football was something I started in seventh grade and was more of a social thing I decided to be a part of. I stuck with football throughout middle school and decided to keep playing in high school. I’m glad I did because I love what I do, and it’s incredible to be able to play both sports.”

Despite the two sports being in different seasons, McIntyre said the hard work necessary to succeed in baseball and in football is the same.

“Football’s the ‘easy’ season,” he said. “During football season, I get all of my work in during practice before and after school. It’s baseball where you spend a lot of time on your own getting better. I’d say I spend 10-12 hours a week outside of school working on my baseball skills.”

McIntyre said he wants to play baseball at the next level.
“I really want to play college baseball,” he said. “Lots of opportunities have been given to me, so I’ve stuck with baseball for a long time. I’ll be playing four years of varsity baseball, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to do something special during and after high school.”

McIntyre’s love for baseball doesn’t put his passion for football completely aside.
“Of course, I love football,” McIntyre said. “My favorite memories of being at McCallum come from football. Taco Shack against Anderson in front of thousands of people and playing at Liberty Hill in front of thousands of people. Playing football in high school has been a great experience.

McIntyre’s coaches have been impressed with him from day one. Head baseball coach Trey Honeycutt said McIntyre was ahead of his age group.

“He always struck me as a bright, smart young man,” Honeycutt said. “He knew the game of baseball really well. I knew that he had a lot of baseball knowledge, more so than the average incoming freshman. I knew him beforehand because of the camps he came to in years prior, and he showcased a lot of good skills that were far ahead of his time.”

Honeycutt knew well before McIntyre started ninth grade he needed him on the baseball team.

“I just knew he was a baseball guy,” he said. “He showed interest in baseball and through the camps and everything. And when you see somebody his size, you definitely want to at least have a conversation with them to see if they’re interested. He was interested, and we’re very fortunate to have someone of his caliber helping us out.”

Making the baseball team was one thing, but being on varsity was another.

“His freshman year, he had a great chance [at making varsity],” he said. “Our catcher before him had graduated so we knew that he was going to have a good shot of making a run at varsity. We wanted to see him mix in with the other guys on the team and compare, but the skills we saw from him even before coming to the team told us that he was going to have a great shot at being a freshman on varsity.”

McIntyre’s best characteristic is his coachability, according to Honeycutt.

“You’re always a student of the game,” he said. “Tommy is a great example of that. He’s humble, he stays true to himself, but he’s still a big competitor. His knowledge and maturity for a 15-year-old young man way exceeds other players I’ve coached. He’s aware of the situations and the moments, and he’s able to adjust and make a play. Baseball is a game of failure but he’s able to execute in the moment.”

Honeycutt said that he can see baseball is more than a game to McIntyre.

“A lot of coaches judge players based on skill level,” he said, “but Tommy, he really has a good heart deep down. Not just for the game, but you see him trying to be a great teammate, which is crucial at any sport at any level. He’s a great guy, a good friend and someone you want to be around. If I was that age, I’d want someone like Tommy to be my friend and teammate. He’s a good guy all around and as a coach, it’s not always about baseball. It’s about the person, and he’s got heart.”

On the other side of Sunshine Drive is athletic director and head football coach Tom Gammerdinger, who couldn’t be more pleased with how McIntyre has played football.

“The thing about Tommy is, he can do anything,” he said. “ He plugs a lot of holes for us. He can play running back, fullback, he can play inside linebacker and he can play outside linebacker. He’s such a good athlete that it allows him to play multiple positions.”

Like Honeycutt, Gammerdinger was also confident in McIntyre’s ability to play the sport.

“He’d been coming to speed and strength camps, so I knew he was a very gifted athlete,” he said. “Good size for his age, well developed and also a hard worker. I’ve noticed he likes the weight room, and he’s got amazing physical ability.”

Gammerdinger is most impressed with McIntyre’s ability to compete.

“He loves to compete,” he said. “You can tell, whether it’s football, baseball, or whatever he’s doing. He’s a real competitor. The other thing that stands out is his physicality. He’s not just a big body, he is physical. He uses the tools that he has really well, and they’ve made him an emerging leader for the team.”

Gammerdinger said McIntyre is a player who has the skills, the mindset and the routine to become a great player.

“He needs to keep doing exactly what he’s doing,” he said. “He works hard, his leadership is starting to develop, he’s smart and he’s a good football player. He understands the game and doesn’t run away from hard work. He doesn’t need to do anything different. He’s going to be a really, really good football player for us if he just keeps doing his thing.”