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These Two College Baseball Stars Fell In Love Despite Being Rivals
“We just had that connection instantly," pitcher Aiden Phipps said.
In an adorable turn of events, two former college baseball rivals have become boyfriends off the field!
Beloit Buccaneers starting pitcher Aiden Phipps first noticed Grinnell Pioneers left fielder Cole Philpott when their teams played against each other back in March. Although Philpott sat on the bench during the game he still managed to catch the pitcher’s attention.
After the game Phipps slid into Philpott’s DMs and the two baseball players from rival schools struck up a friendship. What started as banter that Philpott described as “really competitive” and “silly in our own ways” turned more romantic over time, according to an interview the two young men did with Outsports.
Philpott already knew he was attracted to men, preferred to not put a label on his sexuality, telling the outlet that he is “gay-leaning.” Once he noticed his feelings toward the Buccaneers’ pitcher had started to change, he decided to take a risk and let his crush know what he was thinking.
“I didn’t want to be like a weirdo to one of our competitors,” Philpott said. “So I was trying to walk that fine line. So I was definitely worried about it, but Aiden made the conversation really easy. So it started [with] just friendly stuff and it just kind of went from there.”
But unlike Philpott, Phipps hadn’t come out to anyone yet even though he knew he was bisexual. “I’ve always known as well,” he said. “Being a baseball player, I wasn’t really comfortable with coming out yet. It wasn’t my time. I always knew. But as soon as I met him, I knew and he kinda asked questions and I was like, ‘Yeah, I like guys too.’”
As Phipps finally started talking about his sexuality and the pair’s chemistry grew, he realized he had feelings for Philpott as well.
“At first it was very friendly, and then when he started asking questions, I was super comfortable right off the bat talking to Cole,” he said. “We just had that connection instantly. So I had no problems letting him know or telling him, and it kind of went from there. Ever since I’ve met him, I’ve just been able to tell him literally anything and just be super comfortable and happy about it.”
These baby gays are so cute!
The duo began officially dating in June, but Phipps struggled to come out to his family and team members. Philpott had already come out to his parents and close friends during the pandemic and was able to come out to his entire baseball team when he started at Grinnell, a very LGBTQ+ friendly college in Iowa.
Phipps tried to tell his mom about his sexuality while home for dinner, but couldn’t do it. Luckily he got up the courage to text her on the bus ride home and discovered that she accepted him.
“I didn’t really expect it,” Philpott said about Phips coming out to his family. “It just kind of just happened. He was just like, ‘I’m just gonna do it.’ It was really comforting to find someone who was all-in.
“I knew how big of a step that is, so it was really cool to find someone who was willing to take that step for me.”
Philpott also noted that being a part of a baseball team means that coming out is even more complicated and nerve wracking. “You’re around the guys all the time, and you never want to feel weird around someone you’re with multiple hours a day,” he said. “Especially because as a team sport, so much of it is your interconnectedness. Your way of being good is, you have to play together as a team.”
Philpott continued, saying, “So if there’s any kind of divide, I didn’t want to be the reason that there was a divide. And I didn’t want to give ammo to other teams.”
Unlike Philpott who told his teammates right away, Phipps waited until he felt comfortable before telling them he is bisexual. “It was also a lot more comforting for me to come out to the team because I felt more established, and I felt more surrounded by good people with good connections,” he said. “I felt very comfortable.”
For Phipps the experience of coming out has been incredibly rewarding. “I felt like as soon as I came out, an elephant stepped off my chest,” he explained. “I can be my 100 percent authentic self, which is super cool. It’s something I’ve never been able to do. It kind of feels like I’ve completely opened a new book in my life, which I think is super awesome. You don’t realize how much support you have until after you come out.”
Philpott agreed, saying, “Being able to admit to myself who I am, my younger self would be proud. And then on top of meeting such a great person and someone I really care about through sports, it’s just been a dream come true.” Swoon!
Now the adorable couple are planning to meet up in Turks and Caicos where Philpott is studying abroad and have plans to intern together in San Francisco next summer.
We wish the two love birds nothing but happiness!
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
