St. Charles North’s Muir finds a home with the Cougars
As someone who moved around as a kid, St. Charles North High School graduate Westin Muir saw his living situation fluctuate often.
What was one thing that remained constant? Baseball.
“I think getting an experience of the game in so many different places honestly prepared me well for pro ball,” said Muir, a starting pitcher for the Kane County Cougars.
After being born in Texas, Muir and his family moved to Ohio where he grew up. Muir moved back to Texas and attended his first two years of high school in the Houston area.
Due to his father’s job in the aviation industry, Muir and his family again headed to the Midwest, this time to St. Charles where Muir finished high school. He graduated from St. Charles North in 2017.
“Oh, it was huge,” Muir said of his time at North. “Moving in the middle of high school obviously has its challenges, but the baseball is what kept me grounded. Being able to move across the country and have immediate friends that you play baseball with is a huge difference maker.
“Playing at North actually kind of spring boarded me even further into playing college ball and the rest of my career moving forward,” Muir said. “The head coach at North, Todd Genke, was a huge help in my recruiting process.”
Muir attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He dominated, pitching to a 27-3 record with a 3.36 ERA for the Warhawks.
The right-hander has amassed an 18-11 record with the Cougars since joining the team in 2022.
“For me, it’s just go out there and compete every day,” Muir said on the key to his sustained success. “I try to break it down. It’s kind of cliché, but you want to win every inning, win every pitch. You can’t win the whole game without winning small battles throughout.”
The Cougars sit at 43-32 as of Tuesday, just one game back of the American Association East Division leading Cleburne Railroaders with 25 games to play.
“He wants the ball every five days,” manager George Tsamis said.
“He goes out there and he’s business when he’s out there,” he said. “He’s going to just change speed and hit his spots. You know, he doesn’t throw 95 miles an hour, but he knows what he’s doing out there.”
Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva, the home of the Cougars, has led the league in total attendance every season since Kane County joined in 2021.
“My family and friends have flown out here to see games and that’s another nod to the atmosphere here,” Muir said. “They would rather take the time to fly and make a special trip to come here as opposed to maybe a game that’s a little bit closer of a drive just because the experience of a ballgame here is one of a kind in this league.”
Amid a tight playoff race, Muir remains focused on the ultimate goal, someday joining a Major League Baseball team.
“I’d love to be at the next level,” Muir said. “I think everyone here has the same goals for the most part. This is a step along the way, as much as we all love it here, it is a place to springboard your career to the next level. So, (I) would love to be able to get the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues one day and I think this is a great place to develop and get myself where I need to be.”