Digging his spikes into the ground, Cliff “CJ” Bastow found himself on a once-familiar surface. Instead of the track beneath his feet, the pole vaulter stood in the infield dirt as a fastball rapidly approached. It had been seven years since his last competitive at-bat, but baseball had never left his mind.
Hailing from Northampton, Pennsylvania, Utah State’s Junior third baseman carved a unique path in his return to the baseball field. After being cut from his high school team during his sophomore season, Bastow sought an alternative option to fulfill his competitive drive, and he quickly gravitated to pole vault.
Bastow immediately felt comfortable. “All you do is think about it, the feeling of breaking your own personal best,” he said. “The second that you see your arm go over the bar, you’re like ‘Oh my gosh, I did it.’” 
His newfound passion earned recognition from college coaches, where he’d commit to Southern Virginia University, joining the first pole vault group in the program’s history.

 With the team in its infancy, self-motivation was critical to Bastow’s performance. Without a full-time pole vault coach, structure was limited, apart from an occasional meeting with a remote coach. Bastow, however, refused to let this stall his progress.
Bastow’s coach during his sophomore season at SVU, Justice Ricketts, was immediately impressed by Bastow’s work ethic. 
“Everybody would go home,” said Ricketts. “I’d come around, and he’s doing drills in the corner. I’d be like, ‘dude, you have to go home.’” 
Bastow’s dedication led to quick success during his freshman season, vaulting him to the top of his conference, winning both indoor and outdoor championships.
“He was a sponge,” Ricketts said. “You’d say something, and he’d take it in; he would study it, and he would try his best to master it.” 
Following his freshman season, Bastow stepped away from competition for two years to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Baltic states. While commitment remained upon his return, his road to success was no longer clear.
“Athletics really never ends on good terms most of the time,” Ricketts said. “It usually ends from an injury, or it ends because somebody better than you takes your position.”
For Bastow, it was an injury. 
Despite setting a personal record early in his indoor season, a recurring hamstring injury began to take a physical toll. 
“I described him as being a little bit too motivated,” Ricketts said. “Too motivated and too tough for his own good sometimes.” 
Rather than prioritize recovery, Bastow pushed the limits despite his injury, ultimately suffering a season-ending injury on the final jump of his career. 
The end of Bastow’s career at Southern Virginia was approaching regardless. His academic goals in mechanical engineering could only be pursued to a certain level at SVU. Though academics were the forefront of his decision to attend Utah State, Bastow’s desire to compete lingered as his pole vault career came to a close.
“I really want to do this longer,” he said. 
Thanks to Ryan Pascual, he’d find a way.
Pascual, a sprinter at SVU, arrived for his freshman year just before Bastow returned from his mission. The pair quickly bonded over a mention of the New York Yankees and a shared love for the game of baseball.
“45 straight minutes before practice, we were just yapping about our love for baseball. After that day we met in the cafeteria; it pretty much became an everyday thing.”
The pair shared childhood stories and reminisced about the game, sometimes in the ice bath after a practice, or over a game of catch. Some stories included Pascual’s twin brother, Daniel, USU’s former center fielder, who led the National Club Baseball Association in stolen bases in 2025.
For Pascual, Bastow’s presence stood out beyond their shared nostalgia.
“He was just the perfect teammate,” Pascual explained. “It didn’t matter what meet we, good or bad, he would always cheer you on.” 
Bastow’s influence was not limited to the track, but a quality that he carried with him everywhere. “He knows how to set his priorities,” Pascual said. “He’s someone that I strive to be like.”
Even now, while Pascual serves an LDS mission in Brazil, the two remain in close contact. Bastow updates him on the ups and downs of the New York Yankees and offers advice and support.
“The level of compassion that Cliff has is unlike anything I have ever seen,” Ricketts said. “He’s the epitome of the guy that would hand you the shirt off his back.”
After leaving SVU, Bastow now carries this presence to the ballfield. Although Bastow has been reunited with the sport for only a few months, Utah State head coach Anthony Peterson is particularly impressed with his improvement. “He's just a relentless worker, and it’s infectious. I think he drives that passion into everyone else around him,” he said. “The way he works and the way he is as a person pushes you a little extra because you know he’d do it for you.”
A few months ago, Bastow hadn’t touched a bat in years. He now boasts a .600 batting average following the fall season, putting him within the 20 highest averages in the NCBA. Though he’s found early success in the sport, Bastow continues to strive for improvement.
“I've taken a very similar mentality from pole vault to baseball,” Bastow said. “I'll go to the field almost every single day, and I'll hit off the tee.” 
 Bastow has quickly developed as a leader for the Aggies, leading teammates in extra ground balls and batting practice, inspiring new and experienced players alike.  
“You kind of have some guys that make it about themselves, and he's just not that,” Peterson said.
Adjusting to baseball has balanced Bastow’s tenacity while providing an opportunity for greater recovery. Though his relentless mentality remains, he’s able to take a step back and enjoy the process.
“The little wins are huge,” he explained. “The high five to the first base coach after a hit; I say that’s the same feeling as watching your arm go over the bar.”
Now on the cusp of the spring season, Bastow and the Aggies are looking to improve upon their 9-0 fall season. They take on Southern Utah for their home opener on Feb. 28. 
“In pole vaulting,” Bastow explained. “After your first two or three steps, you can tell if you're going to make the jump or not.” 
In his return to baseball, Bastow has done just that.