A former University of Northern Colorado baseball player is a finalist for a national award recognizing college baseball players for their work in community service off the field.
Tony Castonguay, a catcher and outfielder with the Bears this spring, is one of nine finalists for the Tony Gwynn Trophy, which is being presented for the first time by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
The Gwynn Trophy honors players who are active in their community and represent their programs with integrity while excelling in the classroom and on the field, according to the NCBWA.
“I’m grateful to be among those amazing people on the list,” Castonguay said. “I had a great time reading what some of these players have done. I have no expectation (to win). I walked away from last season, and what I’m carrying with me is being on the list.”
The winner will be released no later than June 13, the association said. The association is a membership group of writers, broadcasters and publicists dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. UNC baseball coach Mike Anderson said he expects the award, and other national awards, to be announced around the start of the men’s College World Series on June 13 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Gwynn, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who died in 2014 at age 54, was revered through his career as one of the best hitters in the game’s history. He was a 15-time All Star with eight batting titles, which is the most in National League history. He played his entire 20-year career with the San Diego Padres and retired with a .338 batting average.
University of Northern Colorado's Tony Castonguay prepares to bat while playing in the home opening game at Jackson Field last week.(Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Gwynn was also known for his interest in philanthropy, according to the NCBWA. Gwynn and his wife, Alicia, set up the Tony Gwynn Foundation to fund charities supporting children in need.
In 1995, Gwynn earned the Branch Rickey Award as the top community activist in MLB, and in 1999, he was named the Roberto Clemente Man of the Year. He was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame and won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, presented to the MLB player who best exemplified the character and leadership of the Hall of Fame first baseman.
Castonguay, 23, said he was nominated by UNC head baseball coach Mike Anderson and assistant coach Shane Opitz. Since high school in Aurora, Castonguay has worked with and advocated for people with disabilities. He set up a foundation around that time called We Are One Movement, and Castonguay continues to do work around the foundation’s mission.
Castonguay’s family relocated to Severance while he was in college, and he’s volunteered with The Arc of Northeast Colorado, an advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He interned with the nonprofit in the fall 2024 semester while he finished his undergraduate degree.
Castonguay started work during the spring semester on a master’s degree in sports coaching.
Anderson said former UNC director of strategic communications Michael High mentioned the award to the coaching staff and asked if they wanted to nominate a player. Castonguay came to mind for the UNC coaches because of his story. In addition to his community work, much of Castonguay’s time at UNC was spent recovering from injuries he suffered while at the University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Castonguay went to the University of Kansas out of high school and then to UNC-Asheville. While at Asheville, Castonguay was the pedestrian victim of a vehicular hit-and-run in October 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was in Knoxville to visit a friend and former teammate from Kansas who then was playing at Tennessee.
Castonguay sustained serious injuries, and he was sidelined from baseball through the 2023-24 season after his transfer to Northern Colorado. He played in 43 games with 34 starts for the Bears, hitting .220 with 32 RBI, 11 doubles and three home runs. UNC finished its season earlier this month an 18-33 overall record and 9-21 in the Summit League.
University of Northern Colorado's Tony Castonguay watches from the bench during the home opening game at Jackson Field in Greeley last week. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Castonguay continued his volunteer work even as he recovered. Anderson knew of Castonguay as a high school player before Castonguay went to Kansas. The coach said he and the program were interested in Castonguay, though he was injured, because of Castonguay’s character.
“He’s not just doing this,” Anderson said. “It’s part of his lifestyle. His dad is a firefighter, and he (Tony) is going to help people the rest of his life. I wouldn’t be surprised if he won (the Gwynn trophy) because of his journey.”
The other eight finalists for the Gwynn Trophy are Michael Brooks, an infielder from the University of Kansas; Evan Byers, a pitcher from the University of Kentucky; Grant Cunningham, a pitcher from Texas A&M; Connor Harris, a pitcher from Winthrop; Joe Sheets, a pitcher from Columbia University; Austin Smith, a pitcher and outfielder from San Diego; Chris Stanfield, an outfielder from Louisiana State University; and Jose Torres, a catcher from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
With school behind him for now — he may resume master’s degree work in the future — Castonguay is taking time to figure out his future. He plans to continue coaching summer basketball with The Arc of Northeast Colorado.
Northern Colorado baseball player Tony Castonguay, left, works with Charlie Couch on seating assignments for The Arc of Northeast Colorado's Styles Beyond Stereotypes Fashion Show in Oct. 2024. Castonguay is a graduate student at UNC. He returned to the baseball field for the first time in two years this season after recovering from injuries he suffered when he was hit by a car in Oct. 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Castonguay worked as an intern at The Arc of Northeast Colorado in fall 2024. (Styles Beyond Stereotypes/ Woody Myers)Castonguay also wants to expand and enhance the reach of the We Are One Movement foundation. He said they’re looking into serving families later this year, to assist children who might need a new wheelchair or a new communication device.
“We’re making more of an effort to reach the community as a whole, and I’m super excited,” he said. “I’m going to stay on that and build it into what I hope it can be.”
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