Aidan Savona '24 Recruiting Profile

I have had a winding path.  The pandemic canceled my freshman season just as we were ready to start, and I missed the entire summer season due to this.  I grew six inches between the middle of freshman and end my sophomore year, and I was starting to figure out how to use my body again at the end of the season sophomore year.  My summer went very well, and I felt as though the game was starting to slow down for me, but then in late spring, I felt a 'pop' in my right hamstring during a deadlift.  I thought this was a hamstring pull but soon I was discovered it was an avulsion fracture of my right hip.  It ultimately healed perfectly, but my parents and coaches shut me down for over 3 months.  All I could do for the summer was strengthen my core and upper body.  I felt defeated just as I was starting to really make strides as a serious ball player.  

I recovered from this, physically and mentally, and was charging into my junior year, but struggled with back pain early in the season.  This was ultimately discovered to be a fracture in my spine.  So, I missed another summer season, and spent months allowing my back to recover.  This was difficult, but in time, with thoughtful rehabilitation, my body healed, and I began throwing again in January 2023.  Working with specialized rotational athlete-focused sports medicine therapists, I returned stronger than ever, now with improved form, and mature body awareness.  I started to hit my stride just as my high school career ended in the state quarterfinals.  I healed completely, and the potential within my game was finally clear, but high school was over.  So, given how much time I missed, I elected to take a gap year at Combine Academy to focus on my craft.  Six-eight hours a day focused on weight training, mobility, visualization, pitching skills and nutrition has been transformational.  I originally thought I was cursed from these injuries, and it has put me behind in the recruiting cycle, however, they have forced me to reflect and focus on a new level, and have unique body awareness.  I doubled my efforts in my academics in high school while recovering, and helped  crystalize my interests in movement science/kinesiology - a field I hope to pursue in college.  All of my rehabilitation and investment in this area of study will pay off greatly as I move on to the next level.  I am very coachable, and the ideal teammate looking for an environment which fosters a brotherhood among teammates.  The camaraderie in the dugout and on the diamond is one of my favorite parts of the game, and I am confident that I can enhance a competitive team. I like to think that my ambition and positive attitude are infectious.  

I recognize I am late in the recruiting cycle relative to my peers, but there is a bright side to the timing of the pandemic and my injury: I am now healthy and strong, and my arm is live.  I feel renewed, laser focused, and well organized to achieve my goals, and have the impact that I know I can have.  The prospect of playing at the highest levels of baseball has always been a great dream of mine.  Now, I am truly prepared to turn that dream into a reality.