Personal Narrative: Baseball Championship

I’m sure you’ve been told persistence is key, and believe that you can do something, not that you can’t. Well I’m not going to show it to you, or tell you, I’m going to prove it to you. The summer after 4th grade year, our baseball team had the greatest summer ever. At the beginning of the season since their was so many kids at our age group that wanted to play, the adults in charge had to split it up into 3 teams. All 3 teams had fair or average seasons. My team had the best of the 3, but it wasn’t quite good enough. We had had, just enough success, not as much as we would have liked. We found ourselves barely sneaking into the tournament as the worst out of 8 seeded teams. We had to play against the undefeated Watertown team in the first round. We were told we had no chance to win, and we believed that too. The most I’ve ever been wrong in my life was saying, “we have no chance to beat them.”

“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”(Babe Ruth). I was wondering how much baseball really affected my life and the choices I make. The answer is a lot, and it still continues to leave a mark on this life I love. Over the many years of my involvement in the game I have learned that life is full of ups and downs. Baseball teaches people to bounce back from negatives, this I believe.

The best thing that ever happened to me is when my baseball team beat Brandon Valley for the first place position in regionals. Brandon Valley was our rivals and we hated each other for not really any reason. We knew at the start of the game that winning this would put us in first place. We had lost to Brandon Valley twice before but they were beatable. It was a home game near the end of July and sunny. The conditions were great for baseball. Our nerves were high and waiting for the game to start seemed like an eternity.

Last year, I experienced something that changed my life forever. It didn’t make me a different person, it just changed how I viewed things in our daily lives. Last year, I volunteered with a group known as Challenger Baseball. Challenger Baseball is a program, that gives differently-abled kids, a chance to experience all the fun parts of playing baseball. Each player is paired up with an able-bodied buddy. Not only do the buddies help the players play baseball, but they are also there for the player to talk to. Last year, I volunteered to become one of these buddies. At first, I was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect. However, that fear quickly turned into joy. The smiles on all the players' faces, was more than enough to get rid of any fear. Although

It was less than a second maybe half a second but it changed everything. I heard the ball hit against my bad with tons of power. Suddenly all I heard was the crowd cheering behind me and my team running up to me. I was dumbfounded did I really just hit a grand slam to win the World Series in the fourteenth inning? Tears rolled down my face as we all knew we just won the World Series for our team that hadn't won since 1908.

We were not expected to be in this position after starting the season with two wins and six losses. With the bases loaded, I stepped into the batter’s box for my second at bat in the 2017 PA District 2 AAAA High School Championship game. Our opponent was stacked with three prospective Division 1 pitchers. I was nervous to say the least, but then my “moment” arrived. I saw my pitch, and launched a bases clearing triple that added to a lead that would eventually produce a victory for my team. We moved on through the playoffs, and eventually landed at Medlar field in State College, where we delivered our first baseball State Championship in school history.

Once upon a time, 2 summers ago, my brother, Jesus , and I were asking to my Mom and Dad to let us play baseball in the backyard. After 2 days of (not) literal crying, our parents let us play. Many days later Jesus and I thought “ How about we play a Home Run Derby over our garage.” We both agreed to do it. Jesus pitched one, foul ball, he pitches a second one, home run, Jesus pitches one last pitch and, CRASH! I had broke my neighbor’s window. Jesus ran inside. I hid in the garage until my parents asked Jesus where I was. My parents still had not found out about the window, they were looking for me because I had to do chores. I felt so lucky and felt even luckier when my neighbor wasn’t home.

The best sporting event that I have ever attended was a Chicago Cubs game that I went to with my family.

Many people struggle to find what they are passionate about in life which can lead to an instability that can limit potential. However, I was one of the lucky ones that realized my passion by the time I was 2 which was America's pastime: baseball. Whether it was the fact that it had been a game with a long standing tradition in our family or the fact that it is a sophisticated game with many strategies and intricate details, I had fallen in love before I knew it.

The passion I have for baseball would not exist if I didn’t have Tom and Melissa as my little league coaches. They coached me for only one year of my life, and that one year changed everything about me. I wouldn’t be the same at baseball and I wouldn’t be the same kid if it wasn’t for Melissa and Tom. They had certainly changed my life forever.

I step up to the plate. The hot lights of the Mets stadium hit my face. Clayton Kershaw was pitching. He is the best pitcher in the MLB. The pitch comes. It was a slow hanging curveball right over the middle. I swing will all my might. I hear the crack of the bat and I see the ball fly over the fence. I trot around the bases and I am approaching home plate. I step on home then I wake up.

My two closest friends in the baseball community have known about a struggle I've had for some time now. I've been wondering for sometime now, what would life be like without baseball. So, baseball and I are ending our 25 year relationship so I can spend more time with my daughter and traveling a lot more. I was blessed to coach Chris Tomkins, Mitchell David Crimmins, Brady Breitbach, John Thill, Jeremy Vaassen, Brett Bortscheller, Dan Millius, and Nickolas Kutsch for their entire high school career and wanted to go along an incredible ride with them. When they were sophomores we set a goal to make it to the state tournament when they played varsity. Not only did we make it to state, but we started off the season 19-0, ranked number 1 the

Everybody has memories they will never forget. The first of mine is playing baseball when I was six years old. My dad had always played sports and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Baseball was my dream at a young age and it all started with the Tigers. I’ll always remember stepping onto the field for the first time and feeling the excitement rush through me. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to be the team’s starting catcher. I liked the feeling of being in command behind the plate and felt like I had some sort of control over the game. I don’t remember a whole lot about the first game, but I do remember my first hit. I can tell you that I’ve never felt so excited in my life as I connected with the ball and began running to first base. I knew that made my dad extremely happy.

You don't hear everyday a high school team winning state championships that often, but at Archbishop Wood it's sort of common. I proudly can say I am one of the few that has not one, but two state championship rings under my belt. As a sophomore AND a junior in high school, my basketball team accomplished being State Champions two years in a row. The first year we won was one of the best experiences of being apart of a team. After losing in the state championship the year before, we knew we had to somehow get back the next year and make sure we'd come out with the trophy. As the new season began in  November of 2016, we played in the Nike tournament of champions in Arizona. The trip was one of the most memorable trips ever with the best group of girls. We had a blast,

Ever since I could remember, I have always had a great interest and love for the game of baseball. As a kid, I would spend countless hours in the backyard with my grandfather, or even by myself, tossing, hitting and fielding a baseball. When I wasn't in the yard pretending to be Nomar Garciaparra I would watch the Boston Red Sox games on TV with my Grandfather.  Even in my early adolescence, as impatient as most are, I had the patience to sit there and watch the Sox.With my eyes glued to the screen with a look of anticipation fixed on my face ready to mimic my grandfather with the excitement of a home run hit or the frustration of Mo-Vaughn striking out. Call me crazy, but I was addicted, even as a young boy, to Boston Red Sox baseball.