High school is one of the biggest transitions in a person’s early life. You go from being at the top in your school to the bottom. For me, it was very hard to adjust to this change. On my first day of high school, I walked into first period so nervous I thought | was going to get sick. This is much like what happened during my transition into middle school. On the first day at Mazzuchelli, right before the first class began, I threw up all over the floor of the classroom. I’m not a big fan of change. To make matters worse, the first week of high school was outrageously hot.
The combination of the heat and my nerves made me sweat uncontrollably. At the time, I felt very self conscious of sweating during class. As bad as these first few days of high school seemed, they flew by. Everyday was over before I knew it. By the end of the first week, my body had started to adjust. I learned my way around the school and had met countless new people. Going into the next week, I started to settle in and got used to all the change. There were various things that I found better than middle school. As this week went on, I started to get a grip on the fact that I was a part of Wahlert Catholic.
My teachers were friendly and caring to me, while my friends made my days interesting. Coming into Wahlert, I was able to get a feel for the environment here before the school year started. I did this through joining the Wahlert baseball team as an eighth grader. Wahlert baseball gave me a feel for the amazing realm that high school is. It helped me overcome the hurdle of beginning high school. Baseball has always been one of my favorite things to do. When the decision to join the Wahlert baseball team came around, I was skeptical on whether or not I should go out.
I was second guessing if I was a strong enough player to make the team. Many of my family and friends encouraged me to give it a shot. On one occasion, my dad told me, “It doesn’t matter if you get cut, as long as you try out and give it your very best. Leave it all on the field. ” This was an opportunity I was not going to let down. I had made the decision to try out and was very excited for the season to get under way. The first day of practice opened my eyes to a new environment. Freshman were making jokes about how us eighth graders had to do anything they told us to.
I was no longer one of the leaders on the team, but instead someone who was learning from those older than me. Into the second the week, I thought I had proven myself as a player, but was still nervous that I wouldn’t make it. On the day of cuts, they lined all the eighth graders up and had us talk to either one of the two coaches. When it was my turn, I walked over to the Coach and was prepared to hear that I hadn’t made it. Instead, he told me that I looked great so far, and that I would be a key part to his team. It wasn’t long until games had started and I had found my role on the team.
I was just an average player at this level, but this didn’t hold me back from making some major plays. As we got deeper into the season, our team had found ways to win a lot of games. We were winning games by large margins and growing some strong team chemistry. Every game was just important as the other for us. This wasn’t completely true when it came time for our doubleheader away game at Cascade. Everyone on the team really wanted a sweep against them, as we didn’t really like the opposing team. Not only did we have a bit of a rivalry, but we wanted to remain undefeated.
I was very tired riding down to the game, as it was early on a Saturday morning. Still, I was pumped to get out on the field. During warm ups, everyone was a little over-confident that we were the better team. We watched the other team warm up and named all their flaws. One my teammates said, “Look at their pitcher. He hardly throws the ball forty miles an hour. This is going to be easy. ” At this field there was a big black wall over left field. Another player on my team said, “I’m gonna hit top black wall by the looks of this pitcher.
My teammates weren’t wrong to think that they could hit the ball well on this guy. As the first game began, we picked up six runs in the first inning. This was topped off by us having our best pitcher on the mound, Caleb Blair. Blair threw a shutout, giving up zero runs all game. Our offense was clicking the the whole time, and we won ten to zero when it was final. Everyone on the team was expecting the same result in the next game. We were confident that we could easily get the upper hand, as we had another one of aces on the mound.
This changed quickly though, as Cascade came out with a new sense of energy. Our second game of the series started completely opposite of the first. My teammates and I were overconfident and had made some early mental errors. This allowed Cascaded to earn three runs in the first inning, while we got none. In the huddle after inning one, our coach said, “Where’s the energy boys? You guys look flat out there! ” In the next few innings, we found ways to pick up two runs, only while allowing Cascade another. It was a defensive battle, as neither team could get any runs.
By the time we reached the sixth inning, the score was tied four to four. I started to get nervous, as I knew would have a pivotal at bat this inning. The first batter got on base with a walk. Our team, was very excited as he was the winning run. Our excitement instantly faded, as the next two batters struck out. This left me up with the last out. Our man on base had stolen to second, putting him in perfect scoring position. My teammates cheered me on. I could feel the pressure of the moment, but wanted to be the guy to get us the win.
The at bat started off slow as I got two strikes and two balls. On the fifth pitch, I got a pitch right down the middle. I made a big swing at the ball and felt it come off my bat. Immediately, I started sprinting towards first and was signaled to go for second. The winning run had scored and our team went wild! We had won the game, and left Cascade with two victories. From this point on, I was much more confident. My teammates also felt a new sense of belief in me. The rest of the year was very enjoyable and left me with many new friendships! It was a summer I will always remember.
Sports are fun to play and be involved in. They allow you to unite with your teammates and grow in your commitment. In looking back, the real value of baseball was the friends I met and the life lessons I learned. By showing that I was committed to my team, I earned their respect and the same treatment in return. Playing baseball the summer before freshman year helped me familiarize with Wahlert and made the transition much smoother. When I walked into school on the first day, many of my teammates welcomed me. My school year was off and running
