Hunter Howton '20 Recruiting Profile

A warm spring night in Salado, Texas was the birthplace of my love for pitching. My baseball career started several years before focused on hitting and baserunning in order to defeat the other 5-year-olds. Throughout the years, I consistently led my teams to the championships and post season through my play at key positions in the infield. It all changed on that night under the lights in the 9-10-year-old kid-pitch post season tournament. Having easily handled every test on the mound thus far, I faced my first giant that night. The number one kid-pitch team in neighboring Belton, that was loaded with select players and undefeated, rolled into my town with a win or go home game on the line. The coaches leaned on me to take the mound against this goliath. With a fastball and changeup, I embarrassed the opposing players. Leaving the field with a 5-0 win and the first shut-out of my life. The memory of the feelings that overcame me and my peers that night prompts my work ethic and desire to be great. Nearly a decade later I continue to push myself on a nightly basis in order to ensure that I receive that feeling every time I touch the mound.

As a 5’11” pitcher, I have been told my options for pitching in college and beyond are limited, but I see that as just another Goliath to slay. I have had the opportunity to work with great coaches and attend the Texas Baseball Ranch. With those opportunities, I resolve to work daily for increased velocity, accuracy, and effectiveness.

My goals when I hang up my cleats are to have a leadership role in a large company, or to start my own company.  I would like to study business or engineering at the college I attend. I believe I can achieve this because the adversity I face on the field is only preparing me for the adversity I will face off of it. All of the blood and sweat I have poured into this game are shaping me into the kind of person who can and will go get anything I want in my lifetime. That same perseverance I continue to demonstrate on the baseball field, I also put forth in the classroom. I consistently challenge myself by taking the most difficult courses and maintaining my 4.24 gpa. Furthermore, on weekends I don’t have a tournament, I compete in academic UIL, Mu alpha theta, and other academic clubs. Prior to this year, I was first chair in varsity band, but chose to focus all my efforts on baseball and academics.