MWL1 Beloit Sky Carp

Skye Bolt Article

Published on July 14, 2016 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Beloit Sky Carp News Release


BELOIT, Wisc- On a beautiful, sunny afternoon at Pohlman Field, Skye Bolt joined me, Derek Hoesly, in the box seats down the third base side for a lengthy conversation as we discussed a variety of topics.

The first topic we talked about was his uncommon first name. Bolt's parents wanted him to have a name that popped. Skye does exactly that. His unique name was actually just voted as the best name in MLB, according to MLB Network Radio.

In a long, grueling baseball season, free time is precious. Several members of the Snappers live in Janesville. According to Bolt the main hang out place in Janesville is Buffalo Wild Wings. The guys have a drink and watch some ball games. A couple of hot spots in Beloit are Subway and Doc's.

When it comes to food, Bolt is a big steak fan. A medium rare steak and loaded bake potato is a combination that Bolt could eat seven days a week. "You feed me a nice steak and potato and I'm fat and happy," Bolt said.

One of Bolt's favorite snacks is pretzel bites with peanut butter in them. Another snack that you could find at Bolt's apartment is pretzel crisps. Pretzel crisps come in a variety of flavors, but Skye's favorite flavor is buffalo.

Skye grew up in the south in Woodstock, Georgia about 30 miles north of Atlanta. Bolt has one sister, Evan, along with two step brothers, Phillips and Jake, and one step sister, Alley. His parents are Mike and Eva. His step parents are Chris and Connie.

Bolt is a huge outdoors enthusiast. His home is on a lake in Woodstock. Bolt thrived and enjoyed the outdoor setting as a kid. He enjoyed going out to the lake and being around water. He also loves the woods and going hunting. His home is located near thousands of acres of wooded property. Some of his favorite memories as a kid were building a zip line in the woods, swinging from a rope into the lake and the bonfires out deep in the woods. He also played paint ball with his siblings and friends in those treasured woods. He specifically remembers going down to the water when it was low, and seeing bear paw prints in the mud, and the prints being twice the size of his hand. These outdoor memories will always stick with Bolt. Being outdoors is one aspect of life that he misses. "My back yard was my play ground," Bolt said.

Bolt's dream job outside of baseball is a professional fisherman. Another dream job would be a tour guide on an exotic tour across the world.

As for music, Bolt and I both enjoy country music. One of his favorite groups is Florida Georgia Line. A couple of his favorite artists are Dierks Bentley and Jamey Johnson. Bolt has gone to a few Florida Georgia Line concerts and wouldn't hesitate to go again. He describes the Florida Georgia Line concerts as "nothing but a good time." His all-time favorite artist is Jamey Johnson and one of his favorite songs is "In Color."

His favorite team growing up was the Atlanta Braves, which is not a surprise, being from the Atlanta area. His favorite player was the great switch hitter, Chipper Jones. The Braves won 14 straight division titles and one World Series title when Bolt was a youngster. Bolt still remembers watching those division title runs and being glued to the TV every baseball season.

In today's world so many people are consumed with their iPhone or laptop, but Bolt isn't a huge computer person. A couple of applications that Bolt uses when he does get on his iPhone are Angry Bird and Facebook. On the many long bus rides across the Midwest Bolt turns to Angry Bird. He says his number one purpose for using Facebook is to watch videos. Bolt is a huge watcher of stupid videos, and his family would agree with that.

An interesting fact about Bolt is that he doesn't like chocolate. Even as a youngster, when he went to birthday parties he never was interested in the cake. When it comes to other sweets like M&M's and chocolate fudge and stuff of that nature, "I hate it."

Bolt's most embarrassing baseball moment came in his senior year at North Carolina. He belted a grand slam on the road versus Notre Dame in the finale of a three-game series. As he was coming into second base, he tripped and went face first into the bag and was sprawled out on all fours like a star. His family won't let him forget that moment as his mother has video evidence of the unforgettable event.

Bolt valued his time at Chapel Hill. He was very comfortable with the southern feel of the campus and during his time there he grew both as a person and a baseball player. His major at North Carolina was Business Management with a minor in Economics.

During his freshman year, Bolt was part of the 2013 Tar Heels that advanced to the College World Series in Omaha. North Carolina went 2-2 and advanced to the national semifinals before falling to eventual national champion, UCLA. In the Tar Heels second game on the grandest stage, Bolt went 2-for-4 with one RBI in a 4-2 win over LSU. He was also named a consensus All-American after his freshman year.

"It was an amazing experience to be able to compete on such a grand stage. A lifelong dream of mine, I remember committing to as a kid watching UNC and Oregon State," Bolt said.

On the baseball side, Bolt wants to keep helping the Snappers win ball games and ultimately make a push for the playoffs in the second half of the season. Bolt's greatest weapon is his dynamic speed as he can run balls down in the center field gaps. His defensive prowess is something the Snappers will be relying on in the second half of the season. His personal goal is to move up to Double-A Midland by the end of the season or the start of next season.

"I don't think there's a guy in that clubhouse that wants to be complacent with where they're at. So for me, my goal is to absolutely move up and get to the big leagues as fast as I can and help the A's get closer and closer to the pennant," Bolt said.

The biggest adjustment for Bolt is just the longer season and the everyday grind of professional baseball. The long bus rides that minor league players have to adjust to are sometimes brutal.

Skye considers himself a line drive hitter with power to the gaps. Bold admitted he wouldn't hit many home runs, but can affect the game with his speed. Bolt has swiped six bases for the Snappers in 2016. If it wasn't for the hamstring injury, that number would probably be significantly higher.

Bolt started out the year really well and then hit a road bump. He has battled a hamstring injury which forced him to the disabled list in June. In the first half, Bolt hit .226 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. However, Bolt is back on track and ready for a torrid second half. That's exactly what has happened as Bolt is hitting a scorching .309 in the second half with seven doubles and 13 RBIs.

Bolt mentioned that his parents have made the trip to Beloit a few times to watch him play. He feels very fortunate that his parents' work schedules allow them to watch him play. When the Snappers travel to Bowling Green in mid-July his parents will be in the stands cheering him on.

"I've been very fortunate that they've been able to travel to many of my games in my pro career both in the Midwest League and last year up in the Penn League," Bolt said.

Bolt is a highly regarded prospect in the A's system as he's currently ranked No. 17 in the A's minor league system, according to MLB Pipeline. Fans can come out and watch Bolt play on July 20th against the Lake County Captains with first pitch slated for 7 p.m. The Snappers start a six-game homestand on July 20th that runs through July 25th.

The Beloit Snappers are a member of the Midwest League and are a fourth year Class-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Stay tuned to the team website and social media for all up to date information. For ticket information, contact the Snappers' offices at 608-362-2272 or visit our website at www.snappersbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from July 14, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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