Kyle Nepton '18 Recruiting Profile

I decided to use my essay for college as my personal statement. It tells the truth of who I am as a pitcher and person.

                An obstacle I encountered as a high school student was minor to most. To me it was big, because with the aspiration of becoming a college pitcher, velocity was a major factor.  As a freshman in high school it was clear that in the game of baseball, pitching was my strength. I had a great curve ball and change up coming into high school, and I was a lefty, making my fastball tail across the plate naturally. The problem is my velocity and it seemed to peak. I was throwing 77-79 mph off the mound, and not touching 80 mph, which would be huge as a freshman in high school. The most frustrating part came junior year, when I was still touching 80 mph, and if so, once or twice a game.

                This was an obstacle that I was fighting to overcome. Frustration filled me, and I started to fill with doubt. But, what I refused to realize, until the winter before my junior season, was that I was crafty. I was a crafty lefty that never gave up. Freshman and sophomore year I had a lot of success on the varsity level. Not because I threw hard, but because of all the other components that made me Kyle Nepton. My ball had a lot of run and natural movement and I had tons of fight in me. I battled from first to last pitch. So what, I couldn’t blow a fastball by every batter, I could get them to chase or hit my pitch. I wasn’t just a thrower, I am a pitcher. I am smart and compete with everything I have, even on my bad days. I finally overcame the idea that you had to throw hard to be successful. I took the mound with the confidence, with that mindset I control what will happen. With that confidence and realization of who I am, I stepped on the mound with confidence which led to a 9-1 season. I was the winning pitcher in the Sectional final and the regional semi-final game, games I was not favored to win. We went on to win the Group I State final. This season I truly overcame the idea of having to throw hard to compete. I became myself, a crafty lefty who refuses to lose. I still want to be that overpowering pitcher, but with hard work that will happen. I know I can play with best because I control what is front of me.

                Overcoming the idea that there is more to pitching than being the hardest thrower took some work. My success didn’t come from throwing hard. This also excites me knowing how good I am without the velocity, because this shows how much more potential I have moving forward into college, both on the field and in the classroom. Building on my strengths instead of focusing on my weaknesses will help me overcome any obstacle that I face in life. My high school career has taught me to be myself on and off the field and impeccable work ethic. I believe if you have a passion for what you are doing you will succeed. I will continue to succeed, take the lessons I learn in my failures, to build a better stronger me. Obstacles are part of life and they can either defeat you or define who you will become. I choose to become a success and refuse to become a failure.