Collins Is In Command
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
There’s not much about catching that doesn’t appeal to Myles Collins.
The view from behind the plate is panoramic and it’s always satisfying to see a baserunner tagged out, Collins says, when he lasers a throw to second base.
Physically the demand for the position is not overwhelming, since Collins, a prospective Opelousas Catholic senior, is 6-foot-3 and weighs 170 pounds.
“At catcher you are like a director. You see the whole field and you have a vision of what’s going on the whole time,” Collins indicates.
Collins, who is firmly committed to playing college baseball at Troy, one of the eight teams that has reached the 2026 Men’s College World Series, was a recent first team selection on the Class 1A all-state baseball squad chosen by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
OCS head baseball coach Justin Boyd said Collins once played third base, but that notion didn’t endure.
“Myles is pretty athletic and he has really embraced catching. He trains with it the whole year and even when he was in eighth and ninth grades, he was comfortable catching pitchers who were throwing in the 90’s,” said Boyd, who caught collegiately at Louisiana.
Since Boyd became the Vikings’ head baseball coach, OCS has showcased its share of catchers, something that Collins mentions was both apparent and inspirational.
“I saw some of those (OCS catchers) when I was growing up, watching them and now I realize how much Coach Boyd is a role model for me and the ones before. I have really become focused on the coaching mindset and being physical,” Collins says.
Collins has been the Vikings’ regular catcher since he was a freshman after Boyd said it was obvious that Collins had a strong throwing arm and the ability to block just about every pitch that doesn’t always split the plate corners.
At this point Collins estimates that his throw from behind the plate can reach second base in 1.75 seconds, which Collins thinks is currently one of the fastest recorded times in the nation.
If Collins does play college baseball, the transition won’t seem that unusual for his family.
Older brothers Matt (Northwestern State) and Mark (Louisiana) previously signed scholarships.
Mark Collins was an outfield starter for the Cajuns in 2026 and provided much of the Louisiana offense as the team moved through the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and reached the final round of the Starkville regional at Mississippi State.
Having two older brothers who played college baseball has been important in shaping his own career, Collins added.
“They keep pressing me. It was really great to go to Mississippi State and see Mark. There were 16,000 people at that last game and it was a great experience,” Collins noted.
This summer Collins is focused on showcase-level baseball with a team based in Georgia.
The affiliation located hundreds of miles from Opelousas has its challenges, but Collins said his family doesn’t mind driving him to games in Atlanta, Phoenix and areas of Florida.
On Tuesday afternoon Collins was watching Troy and West Virginia play an elimination game at the MCWS.
At this point Collins doesn’t see any obstacles that deter him from playing at Troy.
“Troy contacted me on August 1 of last year and since then I have met the (Troy) coaching staff and I really like the way they handle the players,” says Collins.
