Jayden Williamson '19 Recruiting Profile

    The highlight of my baseball career, was freshman year playing in a Cooperstown Tournament.  Bottom of the seventh, down a run, leadoff batter facing a pitcher that was lights out against our team.  My heart was racing and chills ran through my body, for the at bat that I've always dreamed about and couldn't wait for. As I stepped in the box my thought was,  "I am not letting this pitcher beat me".  At the moment,  everything went  blurry, my only focus was the pitcher and myself. I could hear the crowd cheering my name and I knew they beleived in me, as much as I believed in myself. I got in my stance when the pitcher threw a first pitch fastball.  It almost looked slow motion. I swung the bat knowing i needed to come through in this situation and I drilled a standup triple over the center fielders head. My team went crazy , the excitement I felt was something I will never forget. That at bat, changed my entire outlook on the game. I thought, of me helping my team like that made me feel amazing. With that said, I would rather go 0-8 with 8 strikeouts and win the game then go 8-8 with 6 doubles and 2 home runs and lose the game. Over the years of playing baseball I have learned and believed that it is not ALL about me,  its about the team. Every player is asset to the team and I will always be there to cheer them on. 

    My mentality when I step on the field is that I have to lead by example. I have realized that attitude and demeanor has a huge impact on performance. If you make and error or get struck out on a bad pitch, you have to shake it off and hold your head high for the next opportunity. I have also realized that the saying, 'baseball is a game of failure' is very true because you will not always hit the ball or field it cleanly but you CAN learn from your mistakes. I have a lot of drive and dedication to the game and my teammates. One hurdle I had to overcome was realizing that baseball is physcological. The other teams job is to try to get in your head whether it is pitching, fielding or hitting. One of my favorite parts of a game is to pick my team up and raise their moral.  Focus and determination is key in a game. Another key part of my game is being under pressure, and providing plays during clutch situations. I am there for my teammates on and off the field. I believe I can make an impact on any team I play for whether its on the field or in the dugout helping out and cheering on my teammates!