One summer day around the time I started playing baseball. I was sitting in the dugout after another strike out. I felt terrible as if all my team hated me. I was only 9, and I had just started playing baseball. I would often get dirty looks from other team members. I could hear the other team yell out; “hit it to left field he can’t catch” (I was left field). I thought about quitting right there and walking off the field. After 3 very long outs we ran into the dugout to see the lineup. “Dang” I was first up. I grabbed a bat and started the long walk to the batter’s box. I was terrified that if I strike out again everyone would hate me. I gather up all the courage that I had left and got ready for the pitch. Swing and a miss. My heart sunk… I could hear opponents laughing. “Well that’s it I thought I’m done “never going to play baseball ever again.

The pitcher started his wind up and put one right down the middle. I closed my eyes and swung. I did not even know what I was swinging at, but I swung. I heard a loud; “TING” and my eyes flew open to a baseball flying over right fields head, I was so surprised my coach was yelling “ go Jesse go” I took off for first, then second and slid into 2nd as the field umpire calls me “ ssssafe!!” after that, I got hit home by one of my team. After entering the cheering dugout my coach told me I’m getting better witch made me proud. After that hit I fielded 3 outs and hit two more times before the game was over.

I have gotten so much better. My coach told me after that game that he could tell I was about to give up and he was glad I didn’t. All of my team members were high fiving me and I finally felt welcome on a baseball team that I loved to play on. And every year up until I moved, I played on the same team. I have been getting better every year learning more from the team and the coaches. Baseball has helped me make new friends that I can trust. I’m just so glad that I did not quit on my team. I have learned a very important lesson from my years of baseball. If one person quits or gives up then the whole team goes down with them.

I had to re-learn that lesson last year, when I moved to a school I didn’t want to go to. I wanted to keep playing baseball so I joined a league close to us. They put me on a team where the players made fun of every player that was not that good… even me. That year I was terrible again, almost like when I first started playing I was always second guessing everything I did witch made me mess up even more. But finally the team I was on played a Cincinnati team that was short a player so I volunteered. As soon as I walked into the dugout it was almost as if it was my hometown team. And I walked out on the field with my head high and played baseball. I got switched over to their team, which was the highlight of my summer (besides vacation). I still play on that team. We start practice Monday and I couldn’t be happier.