Brockway’s Dylan Bash Has Overcome Celiac Disease to Excel in Three Sports for the Rovers

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BROCKWAY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Dylan Bash’s stomach ached.

He always felt sick. Then the pain intensified.

Then a junior on the Brockway baseball, wrestling and soccer teams, Bash knew there was a problem.

And he had a pretty good idea what it was.

(Pictured above, Brockway’s Dylan Bash throws a pitch for the Rovers’ baseball team this spring/submitted photo)

His mother, Jessica, had similar symptoms before she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an immune reaction to eating gluten, the protein found in wheat, barely and rye.

“They did a bunch of blood work,” Bash said. “I didn’t even need to have a scope because they said my levels were off the charts.”

Bash was actually relieved.

Celiac disease is often easily managed with a change in diet that is completely gluten-free.

“I don’t want to say I was hoping for that, but I was kind of because it stinks, but there is a lot of worse things that could happen,” Bash said.

Because of his mother’s diagnosis, Bash was already eating a diet mostly free of gluten. It was only when he ate away form home or nibbled on snack that he had foods containing gluten.

“It’s kind of a genetic thing,” Bash said. “At some point, I expected it. It just happened a lot faster than I thought it would.”

Now Bash is free to focus on his three sports with the Rovers.

As a midfielder on the soccer team, Bash is in the middle of all the action with the Rovers. As a wrestler, he was 3-0 this past winter before a partially torn elbow ligament ended his season. On the baseball field, Bash hit .320 and also threw 32 innings on the mound, sporting a 4.38 ERA.

Bash is excited for the upcoming soccer season as a senior. Brockway went 8-10 last fall, but played better as the season unfolded with Bash as a captain. The Rovers fell 2-1 in overtime to Brookville in the first round of the District 9 playoffs.

“Last year, I wouldn’t say it was a down year, I’d say we’re just reloading,” Bash said. “We have a lot of younger guys and we have a bunch of ninth graders who are going to be coming up and I feel like we could definitely make another run at the title.”

THE BASH FILE

NAME: Dylan Bash

SCHOOL: Brockway

YEAR: Senior

SPORTS: Soccer, wrestling and baseball

2022-23 HIGHLIGHTS: Was a captain as a junior at midfield for the Rovers’ soccer team and was named an Upper Allegheny Valley League all-star. … Was 3-0 on the wrestling mat before an elbow injury ended his season. … Hit .320 and pitched 32 innings with a 4.38 ERA for the Brockway baseball team.

Q: You play three sports you don’t often see in that combination — soccer, wrestling and baseball. Were you always into those three sports?

A: Growing up I played soccer a little bit, but when I was eight, I quit. Then I started playing again in the seventh grade. I always wrestled because my brother (Noah) wrestled. My brother played baseball so that was another reason I played baseball. Baseball’s my thing. I clicked in that and that’s what I like to do. I wanted to play a sport with my brother, so when he was a senior and I was a freshman, I was like I might as well play soccer. I kind of just stuck with it.

Q: How would you describe yourself as an athlete?

A: I am committed and willing to put in the hard work. I am also very good with my teammates.

Q: What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while playing sports?

A: To cherish the moments you have because you won’t always be able to play high school sports. These years really fly by.

Q: What do you do to handle a loss?

A: I show good sportsmanship and just use it as fuel to help me improve and win the next game or match. A loss shouldn’t be something to be sad about. Sure, it’s not a good thing, but it helps you grow as a person.

Q: Is there another athlete who has mentored you and what was the biggest thing he/she taught you?

A: My biggest mentor is my brother, Noah. He taught me how to carry myself, whether in a win or in a defeat. He taught me to be humble and overall how to become a better person.

Q: If you could be another player for a week, who would you be and why?

A: I’d be Mike Trout. I mean, he is the best baseball player of our era. I would love to be in his shoes and hit bombs.

Q: What are your goals in sports?

A: To win a district title in baseball my senior year. It has been something I always wanted to do and I have one more shot.