Scholar Stories: Family, U-M Experiences Mold Stanton's Perspective, Career in Medicine
5/17/2023 4:58:00 PM | Baseball, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Matthew Mahoney
Junior Dylan Stanton had his eyes set on attending the University of Michigan since he can remember, but the thought of playing baseball at his dream school did not come until much later on.
"I always knew (Michigan) was the end goal," he said. "This is where I wanted to come because of the prestigious academics and athletics. But I really didn't see myself playing a sport in college. I thought I was just going to be a regular student."
That is where Stanton's family came in. His dad, a former college baseball player, and his brother Cade, who plays baseball at Grand Valley State, pushed Dylan to realize his potential of playing college baseball at the highest level. Coming from a competitive family, Stanton was not one to be outworked and his family dynamic only fueled his drive to achieve greater success.
"After practices, we would always be there at least an hour more training. My dad would have us run home, jump rope, pushups and sit-ups, every day after practice," Stanton said. "We're putting in the work because we want to be the best in the area, we want to be the best at the school. By the time you're a freshman, you're doing that yourself because that's all you've ever known."
After years of hard work, Stanton started to reap the rewards in high school. At Gull Lake High School in Richland, Mich., he had a standout baseball career, earning All-Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference first team honors both his sophomore and junior years, as well as being named team MVP as a junior. Despite the success, Stanton was not satisfied, hoping to surpass his brother who was playing college baseball.
"I just always wanted to beat him," Stanton said. "I was like, if he played baseball somewhere, I'm going to play baseball somewhere."
After realizing he wanted to play college baseball, Stanton had his eyes on Michigan from the jump, but it took some time for the Wolverines' staff to notice him.
"(Former assistant coach Nick) Schnabel was coming to watch another recruit from the same area, but I must have played well because after that game, I was able to talk to him," Stanton said. "So then after talking to him, I was like, you know what, maybe I can do this. I'm just going to keep my head down, keep on working hard. I mean, hard work goes a long way. You don't always have to be the most talented player, but if you work the hardest, good things can happen."
Stanton's mature mindset is what enabled him to reach his goal of playing at his dream school, and that same mindset allows him to achieve success today, both on and off the field.
"I think that is a big reason why I'm here, because personally, I don't think I'm the most talented on the team," Stanton said. "But I'll outwork you, I'll work the hardest that I can. I'll show you that I'm supposed to be here."
While his father and brother pushed him on the diamond, his mother helped prompt him to realize his academic pursuits of being involved in medicine at a young age. Stanton is a biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience major at Michigan, hoping to attend physician assistant school after graduating. While his postgrad plans changed while in Ann Arbor, his desire to help people was something his parents realized at a young age.
On travel ball weekends as a 10-year-old, Stanton played with and cared for his teammates' younger siblings, prompting one parent to say, as Stanton recalls, "He already has the qualities of being a nurse."
"I think from that point on, my parents drilled it in me to take the sciences," he said. "I ended up liking it and seemed like I was good at it. I just always felt like I am a very caring person, and I want to help people and be there for someone."
However, pursuing such a difficult track meant Dylan had to work just as hard academically, if not harder, as he did in baseball. Stanton was a four-year honor roll student while at Gull Lake, and the education is largely what prompted his desire to attend Michigan.
"My mom came in and was pushing (me and my brother) to always be great in school so that we could have that opportunity to go to whatever school that we wanted to, which got me here," he said.
Since arriving at Michigan, Stanton has seen his career hindered by injuries. After redshirting his freshman year, Stanton was finally able to see the playing time he had hoped for as a sophomore, posting a .340 batting average over 22 games played in the 2022 season. He broke out in a game against Purdue, in which he went 4-for-5 with four RBI, three runs and his first career home run in a 13-2 win.
After taking the last month of the 2022 season and the entire summer off to rehab, Stanton lost hope of returning to the ability he once had before his injury.
"It takes a toll on your mental side more than anything," he said. "I was thinking, 'You know, this could be my last year. I just need to focus on my career in medicine. I think that'll be a great opportunity.' I was definitely down in the dumps."
Despite the hardships, Stanton has taken a mature mindset to it and grown as a person because of it. He has found ways to manage his injury and go out and compete like he has his whole life. So far this season, Stanton has seen action in 26 games with five starts highlighted by a game-tying RBI in the eighth inning against UAB.
"I've kind of shifted into the perspective that not everybody gets to have this opportunity that I have," he said. "I'm extremely grateful that I can come in here and talk with the guys anytime I want and go practice and compete like I always have."
Whatever adversity pops up in life, Stanton is ready for it. He has a strong support system in place around him, and he greatly values the importance of caring for others. The game of baseball has taught him to get back up when you get knocked down, and to trust the work that you have put in.
"The more you play the game, the more you start to understand that you need to have more of that mature mindset of, whatever happens, happens," Stanton said. "You just need to go up there with a clear mind and just trust the work that you put in to get there."
Being a Michigan student-athlete is a dream come true for Stanton, and he takes great pride in representing the Wolverines. Stanton is a true Michigan Man, and the experiences he has had at Michigan in both the classroom and on the diamond will shape him for a future in the medical field.
"I think I've done a good job of showing people that I probably care about Michigan the most out of everybody on the team," he said, "and I hope that everybody else on the team would say that too, but I bleed blue. I absolutely love it. Michigan is everything to me, and I just love being on this campus."
