Aidan Salazar '22 Recruiting Profile

Good day! My name is Aidan Joaquin Salazar; I am currently finishing up my Junior year at J. W. Nixon High School where I am enrolled in Dual Credit courses with Laredo College.  I was born on August 26, 2004 in Del Rio, Texas.  I am 5'7 in height and weigh in at 160lbs. I am a right handed thrower and bat right.  My primary position is short stop and secondary is second base, although I am also a pitcher and can play third base.  To summarize, baseball is my heart and passion since I was three years old.  Baseball has always been in my family from generation to generation.  I enjoy sitting with my grandfather and father as they talk about their favorite baseball pastimes and  how the MLB has changed throughout the years.  When asked what I value the most in life I have to say:  Faith, Family, and Baseball.  I have two half siblings and two younger brothers; myself and the two younger ones play baseball. My inspiration to push through comes from my nine year old brother who is battling AML Leukemia since September 16, 2019.  Our family mottos became Faith, Family, and Baseball and Losing is not an option.   His journey has become ours, and I was blessed to be a half match for him.  On December 16, 2019, I willingly signed up to be his Bone Marrow Donor.  I knew it was not something my parents weren't too keen on, but I was willing to do anything to give my little brother a second chance at life.  Today, we celebrate every day we have together and lean on each other on the bad days.  My brother's will to fight and push through gives me the inspiration and clarity to make wiser decisions in life.  Playing baseball at the next level has always been a dream for me.  My parents have instilled in me the values of the classroom and maintaining good grades, attitude, and relationships on and off the field. I strive to attain this goal daily by ensuring all is done in the classroom in a timely fashion, making time to train daily, and reach out to help in the community.  On the field, I am known to be coachable and hardworking.  In college, I plan to pursue a career in Health and Sport Education where I can either be an Athletic Trainer or a Baseball coach.  I am not sure what the future will bring my way, but the one thing I'm certain of is Baseball will be in it.  I would like the opportunity to pay it forward as I would not be the player I am today if it weren't for the hard work and dedication from all the coaches, educators, and community members.  Some obstacles I have overcome recently are mostly due to COVID and meeting accommodations for my little brother.  As a freshman, I was called up to play a game, as a sophomore my season was cancelled due to COVID but I was practicing with varsity, now as a junior at a new high school I am a starter in varsity or DH as needed. Other accomplishments I have are making it to the National Honor Society which was also delayed a year due to COVID and being named MVP in a travel team from San Antonio.   All in all, to any coach interested in me and what I can contribute to your college or university, I assure you I strive to be a better version of myself daily, work hard on and off the field, and always looking for constructive criticism to better my craft to better serve the team.