God always has a plan.
It may not be the plan you want. It may not be the plan you expect. It may even be a plan you think is crazy, but it is His plan, and through His plan, all things are possible.
I took one of the least conventional paths to get to where I am.
I know now, looking back at it, that every twist and turn all worked out for the best.
Baseball has been instilled in my life since before I was even born.
My dad played professional baseball for the Red Sox and Giants. When my older brother and I were born, we were quickly drawn to baseball because of him.
I started playing tee-ball when I was just two years old. I was instantly in love with the game.
As my brother and I grew up, we had the benefit of practicing with each other.
Before long, I was playing up with his team so we could play together. Playing with him was always fun because not many people get to play on a team with their older brother, which was special for me.
I continued to work and practice to get better every day. When it came time for me to go to high school, I enrolled at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida.
The program is known consistently one of the best high schools in the country for all sports, especially baseball. With the team being competitive, I had to work even harder to see the field.
I came in as an infielder, playing both first and third. I also would pitch on occasion but was more of an infielder. I did this for my freshman and sophomore years of high school. I was getting some playing time and starting to come into my own. That was, however, until I started feeling a sharp pain in my elbow.
It was my junior year, and I was getting ready as usual. Everything had been the same. For some reason, however, I had an extremely sharp pain in my right elbow that would not go away.
After visiting a doctor, I received the news that I had a stress fracture in my elbow. I knew that I had a choice to make. I knew that coming back from an injury would take much time and even more work.
I had to choose whether or not I was up for that. It was no question for me, however. I could feel God telling me to get to work, and that is what I did.
I underwent a long time of physical therapy, missing my entire junior year season. This period of absense was hard for me, especially because I wanted to play in college, and junior year is when schools start looking at you.
I knew in my head, though, that God had a plan for me.
All I had to do was trust him.
I finally got myself healthy again, and I was feeling better than ever. I missed my school season, but I made it back in time for summer ball to start. I knew that this summer season was my time to prove myself and show what I could do.
That summer ended up being the biggest step forward in my career. My improvements as a player were huge, and I proved that. I started to attract attention from a lot of different schools. The biggest one that caught my eye was Baylor University.
They had everything I was looking for in a home for the next four years, and they were willing to take a chance on me. After many prayers and talking things out with my family, I committed to Baylor the day before my senior year.
My senior season ended up being cut short due to covid. I ended my high school career with a total of 12 innings pitched. To think I only threw 12 innings yet somehow made my way into a program as Baylor astounds me. It shows that God had a plan for me.
Having a support system like my family through everything was huge for me. Growing up in a faith-centered household, I was always told that I needed to trust God with my life and that he will take care of me. He has a plan for me.
My family being there to remind me of that through every trial I faced is one of the biggest reasons I got to today.
They taught me to trust in God and pray to give everything to him constantly. Another big thing they taught me was to work to receive blessings. They taught me that God rewards those who work to serve him, and that is what I did.
In the summer of 2021, after not throwing much my freshman year at Baylor, I decided to play for the Boca Raton Blazers in the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League. It was right by my home, and I saw it as a great opportunity to work more on my craft. I took the opportunity and allowed myself to focus and improve upon something with each outing. I ended up learning a lot and finished the summer as an SFCBL all-star, owned a 1.26 era, and was named SFCBL pitcher of the year. The best part, however, was winning the league championship. It was an amazing experience with a great group of guys. I learned many lessons through that summer season, and those are all things I am looking forward to taking with me back to Waco this year.
I am beyond thankful for every opportunity I have, and I cannot wait to continue down God’s path that he has for me. Not only in baseball but in everything I do.
Trust in Him.
