When Matt Byars was a young player playing in baseball competitions, he began traveling the country. He fell in love with the outdoors after seeing all these very diverse places and all that life has to offer. His eldest sister, Lindsay Krull, said, “My dad and mom traveled throughout with him for membership baseball, and he was in a position to see what different locations had been like.” He was a lifelong fisherman. He enjoyed being outdoors all the time. And he was able to make full use of all these opportunities after relocating to Colorado.
We always had a sneaking suspicion that he ought to live life to the fullest.
“We always had a sneaking suspicion that he would wind up in a place like Colorado.” Byars, who played baseball for two years at Michigan State before deciding against professional baseball opportunities to be the “free spirit” his sister always said he was, passed away earlier this week in an accident while mountain climbing. Citadel Rock Fireplace and Rescue said that earlier on Tuesday night, before 8 p.m., he fell while rock climbing at Rock Park, outside of Denver. Along with the police, other witnesses reported seeing the crash. He was declared dead at the site. Byars was 27 years old.
Local to Lodi, Wisconsin, Byars transferred from Heartland Neighborhood School in Regular, Illinois, and performed at Michigan State in 2016 and 2017. Byars, a catcher at Michigan State, won the team’s defensive player of the year in 2016 and 2017. In 2017, he was included on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, which is presented to the best Division I catcher in the country.
“He put in a lot of effort for us. Jake Boss, the head baseball coach at Michigan State, said on Friday that “he was kind of a no-nonsense kind of child.”” He came here with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, which is what we wanted, having just graduated from junior high school. He had an arm like a cannon.
Michigan State
Byars’ ambition was to attend Michigan State and much more in the Big Ten since Wisconsin no longer has a baseball program. “He declined full-ride scholarships to several universities in order to play competitive Division I baseball,” said Krull, fighting back tears. It just made him and the rest of us really happy. Everyone was proud of him.
Following his junior season, in which he hit.284 with 26 RBIs and also had a 16-game hitting streak, Byars was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the twenty-fourth round (723rd general), but he chose not to signal and went back to Michigan State.
Year’s draft despite hitting
He was not selected in that year’s draft despite hitting.271 as a senior with a.383 on-base percentage, 14 doubles, 25 RBIs, and 12 attempted steals. Groups showed some interest in him signaling as a free agent, but nothing came of it. Following graduation, he moved to Wisconsin and briefly resided with his parents, Jeff and Christine, before determining that Colorado was the right location for him. He moved to the market with Elliot Statz, his best friend since fourth grade.
“I remember that following his senior year, he was genuinely unhappy with himself for having chosen the path he did,” Krull said. “In actuality, he was not selected for his senior year, and he was always kind of confused about what may have been. But given his current stage of life, we had recently discussed it, and he was really appreciative of the decision he had taken.
“It shouldn’t be easy living on the streets, completing Triple-A and the minors, and trying to get into the majors. He always needed a home and children, and in my opinion, all he needed to do was establish roots in the location where he was entirely content before moving on with that aspect of his life.
Boss was mentioned: “I respected him for recognizing his needs.”
Although Byars participated in a variety of sports as a child, Krull said that “it was all baseball” once the 9-year-old hit his first home run. In high school, he served as staff captain twice and, as a senior, led Lodi Excessive to the Division II state title. In addition, he played soccer, wrestled as a child, and enjoyed golf. The family resided at a Wisconsin golf club. He worked at GOLFTEC as a real estate undertaking supervisor in Colorado. This week, a friend posted a memorial on Facebook, recalling how he and Byars used to talk of growing old together and living a retired lifestyle filled with {golfing} and fishing.
Indeed, Byars like going on hikes. His playground had been the Rocky Mountains, and he was typically joined by his purple fox Labrador, Archie. Byars and Archie had been “greatest associates,” according to Krull. “It was outside that he found so much luxury and comfort,” Krull said. He was just a unique kind of guy who was driven and cheerful. I think the best way to characterize him would be as a free spirit.
Byars is survived by her sisters Lindsay Krull and Sarah Byars, as well as her parents Christine and Jeff. There won’t be a funeral; instead, he’ll probably be placed to rest in Colorado’s mountains, which are “his favorite place,” according to Krull. In the middle of August, his hometown of Lodi will have a celebration of life.