CRESTVIEW — When Matt Gillis watched Blake Dean play baseball for his dad, Tim Gillis, at Crestview High School from 2003-2006, he could have never imagined how their respective baseball journeys would again intersect.
Fast forward a decade or so to 2015 and Dean, a 2006 CHS grad, is the University of New Orleans' head baseball coach. The younger Gillis, a 2014 Crestview grad, is a sophomore pitcher at Jefferson Davis Community College.
Matt Gillis will make the move to New Orleans to play baseball for Dean next fall. He’ll sign scholarship papers during the spring signing period in April.
The decision to play Division I college baseball for UNO was easy for Gillis.
“I could tell they wanted me by how early they started contacting me,” Matt Gillis said. “I’m not going to go anywhere I’m not wanted. I felt like they wanted me the most.
“I felt comfortable going there because I know Dakota (Dean, Blake’s younger brother and former CHS teammate now at UNO) and I know Blake — well it’s Coach Dean now, and I really felt it would be a great fit for me.”
Matt Gillis earned his way in baseball. Although he was the high school coach’s son, he didn’t make the varsity until his junior year. And only as a senior did he really start to come into his own as a player.
“Really and truly, it’s all about work ethic,” he said. “I worked my tail off all these years to really achieve what my dream has been since I was a little boy.
“I couldn’t have achieved this without Jesus Christ. Ever since I was saved, when I was 6 years old, he’s blessed me in ways humans cannot. I thank him each and every day for what I’ve accomplished.”
As any father would be, Tim Gillis is thrilled that his son has a chance to play Division I baseball. But he has the added perspective of a former Division II All-American at Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) and minor league baseball player.
“I think (their baseball path) is pretty similar,” Tim said. “I would say, in my opinion, he’s a lot better at this point in his career than I was. It was the same way in high school.
“He’s got a pretty good head start on me. It has been really amazing. I didn’t know that he would develop into being the pitcher he was his senior year.”
Matt said UNO plans on using him as a middle reliever or set up man.
“I have to come in and be ready to throw and have the mindset that I’m going to get these outs and get us out of an inning,” he said. “And then turn around and be ready to throw a day later.
“All I want is for my team to win so whatever I have to do to make that possible, I’m going to do.”
Matt credits Tim with not only his baseball success, but success in life.
“From day one, he’s been my role model,” Matt said. “He’s shown me what hard work is. I try to be like him more and more every single day.
“He’s always told me he’s more concerned with the type of person I’m going to become rather than the baseball player. It really boils down to our faith in the Lord and everything after that will fall into place.”
Tim could only shake his head at the thought of his star player soon coaching his son. He smiled as he said 10 years ago he thought Blake Dean would be playing Major League baseball now.
“Obviously, (10 years ago) I would have not thought that way (Dean a head coach in college) and I don’t think Blake would have thought that way,” Tim said. “I think Matt was kind of worried about what kind of Christmas presents he was going to get.
“But what an incredible journey. The good Lord scripts out a journey for us and we will find out one day how he came up with it.
"We just ride that journey and take it to the best of our ability and do the best we can with it and try to glorify and honor him.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview grad, Matt Gillis, commits to UNO baseball program