John 'Rocco' Izzo '23 Recruiting Profile

To tell you a little about myself, I am multi-sport student athlete who puts in hard work no matter the task. My love and passion is for baseball and I would rather not be anywhere else than with my team on the field playing ball. One of my first club baseball coaches had a sign at his facility that read, "Hard work beats talent, if talent does not work hard."  That statement has stayed with me throughout my academic and sports career.  My goal every time I arrive for a workout, practice, or game is to be the hardest working person there.  The first thing I do at the completion of any task whether academically or sports related is to see if I worked as hard as I could and did everything I could to succeed.  I take a "School First" approach most importantly, and sports second putting hard work and dedication into both. On the field I stay in the game and fight until the last out. I have a very competitive edge in baseball along with having fun. I am a team player and will do whatever it takes, play any position needed to help secure a victory. My hard work does not only show on the field but it also continues non-stop off the field as well. With school Monday through Friday, I am committed 7 days a week to workouts, practice and games. I put in extra work during off-time when I can. My coaches would tell you, I'm the spark for the fire and the drive of the team. I am a strong leader and put my fellow teammates first before myself because I care for their progress and future as much as I do my own. In the future, I hope to have a career in the military.  My sister is a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force, my mother a Sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, and my father is a Command Pilot police officer with LAPD as well.  I look forward to my opportunity to serve my country and community in the future. I strive to have a job in aviation and more specifically as a pilot. Away from school and sports I engage in community service.  For the last 5 years, I gathered donated baseball equipment from local community groups and through different organizations am able to send it world-wide to under privileged kids.  I have a number of hobbies such as boating, wakeboarding, flying, dirt bike riding, fishing and many more. I am constantly researching and studying on aviation and sports topics. It is my ultimate goal to serve my country with a military career but have the opportunity to play baseball in college along the way.