Personal Statement
My family has been my greatest support in my life. From my parents being everywhere for everything for me to my extended family always willing to help in any way. My brother has been there with me, by my side, through all the moments in my life. He is essentially my other half and the bond that we have is true brotherly love. He is always there willing to help me with anything and I am always there to do the same for him. Ever since I was about 4 years old, I have loved America's pastime. Also, from a young age, I have been able to handle adversity fairly easily. People who watch me pitch can never tell whether a team or environment is getting in my head, because of the way I am able to carry myself and keep calm in every situation. To me, my distractions are minimal on the mound because I know what I need to do, which helps me to slow the game down and let me focus on the task at hand. I have been fortunate enough to play with some very good teams, which put me into challenging situations, including playing against international talent in the Dominican Republic for team USA in the Latin America Baseball Classic, and also winning a National Championship in Myrtle Beach the same summer. All of these scenarios have allowed me to grow as a player, and get me ready for any type of situation. These scenarios also allowed me to grow as a person, and recognize how important both individual and team accomplishments are in life and in baseball.
Succeeding on and off the field is a very important goal for me. Academics have not come as natural to me as athletics have come. But to me, that was just a roadblock which I knew I could overcome. I worked harder with each passing year, and have learned many good lessons over my school career. My work ethic in the classroom has shown me that hard work pays off, working with my teachers pays off, and my grades are the result of that work. I feel that I am just as ready academically as I am athletically for the next phase of my life, my college years.
