Michael Saltzer '24 Recruiting Profile

“Play hard, have fun, and don’t suck.” These are the words that Coach Charles Chatman, my first travel ball coach taught me, and have guided me throughout my life. They influence and drive me in baseball and academics.

When I play hard in baseball, I have a lot of fun. In order to play hard, I have to practice even harder, so that I can give my all in every at-bat and play on the field. When Covid hit, we were not allowed in the weight room, so I bought myself a weight set, got some lessons on strength and agility drills, and did them every day. After each practice, I took extra cuts in the cages and at home (my goal is to do 250 swings a day along with taking extra defensive drills at 2B and in the outfield), I am currently hitting .405/.500/.595 as the starting SS, but also have experience playing 2B, 3B, and OF.

Academically, I am interested in studying anthropology and geology in college. I love using developing and building with technology and have been the lead designer on my school's Vex Robotics team where we have won numerous awards, including two Design Excellence Awards, three invitations to state championships, and one invitation to the Vex World Championships. Just as in baseball, I am a good teammate in robotics and am mentoring the younger members and helping them to succeed in the future. 

My biggest challenge has been over the last three years helping my dad deal with cancer because he played a big role in my love for baseball, and was no longer able to pitch, play catch, or even do soft toss with me. Instead, I have had to help him with his medicines and daily routines, as he struggles with chemotherapy. Watching my dad deal with his disease has only further motivated me to do better in school, baseball, and robotics. Everyday he asks me how I did in all of those areas, and everyday I work hard to give some good information to make him feel better. For example, when I had my first start with the varsity team in a fall ball game, I took him through each of my two at bats, pitch by pitch, to make him feel as if he were there in person. I work hard at school to maintain my GPA, do all my practices and weightlifting for baseball, and be the captain of my robotics team before school. By doing all that, I am playing hard, having fun, and definitely not sucking.

I know that I will be successful in college because part of my high school program has included college classes. I am currently completing my sixth college class, and enjoy the challenge and learning at a higher level.

Beyond baseball and robotics, I enjoy playing golf, guitar, and learning Spanish.