Kacey Edenfield was the kind of All-American high school athlete that you read about. The son of a Major League pitcher, Edenfield played baseball throughout his childhood in Tennessee, and unsurprisingly, was one of the standout players on his high school squad. He dreamed of playing college ball, and was eager to start the process of scoping out schools and programs.
But that never happened. When Edenfield came out prior to his junior year, the worst case scenario occurred: his teammates shunned him, and so did his new coach. After spending nearly the entirety of his senior campaign on the bench, Edenfield turned in his uniform and closed the book on baseball. A few months later, he was on his way to a shoot for Helix Studios, one of the country’s preeminent gay adult-film studios.
Shortly thereafter, Kacey Edenfield became “Troy Ryan,” starring in 27 scenes over a multi-year span that stretched from his late teens to early 20s.
On this week’s “Sports Kiki Podcast,” I chatted with Edenfield about his unique journey from high school baseball stardom to the world of gay pornography. We talked about his brave decision to come out as a high school student, and whether the lack of acceptance he initially received propelled him towards porn.
If Edenfield was embraced by his conservative father and lifelong friends, would he have still attended the audition?
“Definitely not. I would not,” he said. “I even thought about that question a few times before. It’s funny how one decision can lead to another. Something as simple as me saying, ‘Hey, I’m done with baseball, because of how I’m being treated,” led to that. It’s kind of funny how it all plays out. You never know what’s going to happen.”
While Edenfield didn’t intend to step into adult-film, he says the experience was life-changing, and he wouldn’t change it. His life story is a reminder to embrace unpredictability, and a lesson how to persevere.
Click here to check out this week’s edition of “The Sports Kiki Podcast”. You can also subscribe to the show on Apple’s Podcast page as well as on Google Podcasts, and wherever you’ll find Outsports podcasts.
