Personal Statement
Baseball is the only sport that measures our failures more than our successes. What spectators see as a routine play can be marked as an error on a scorecard. A .250 batting average equates to only 25% success rate at the plate. Why is that? I don’t know, but I what I do know is that this game has changed my outlook on life. In November, I tore my ACL in the first round of the state football playoffs. I was projected a setback of 6-8 months, which would guarantee I would miss my high school and summer season. However, baseball has taught me that slumps of failure result in streaks of success. Through months of physical therapy and training, I will be cleared to play in early April at 5 months post surgery. What motivated me throughout my recovery was my teammates, especially the seniors. I played with all these seniors my first year of high school on the JV team and won a regional championship with them last year. I don’t want to see them leave without catching for them one more time, or shaking hands with them after our wins together. The game has also taught me that you should strive for more. No one has a perfect batting average, fielding percentage, or ERA. The best players work every day to increase their average by tenths of points, increase their velocity by one or two marks, or reduce their 60 time by a hundredth of a second. The game has taught me to push myself off the field by taking more honors and AP classes, and to embrace challenges rather than settling for an easy escape.
Playing college baseball is one of my goals after high school, but it’s not my only goal. I also hope to pursue a career in sports broadcasting or teaching American history. Another goal is to make sure I leave my mark on my high school baseball team through mentoring and laying the foundation for future players to succeed. I know my playing time is limited in the sense that I have 2 years left in high school, but baseball has prepared for more than just the game between the lines. It’s prepared me for the challenges I will face in my future.
