John (Tripp) O'Hara '21 Recruiting Profile

  My parents have instilled in me a belief that I have to work for what I want and I am more than willing to do that. I also have a strong faith in Christ.  My heart is to do His will and use the gifts he has given me to my utmost ability.  I am looking for the institution and program that will help me develop and hone my skills and abilities to both the program’s benefit and in accordance with helping me reach my dream of playing MLB. I am more than willing to put in the work to achieve that goal.  I am also a winner and fierce competitor. 

  I have played travel ball since I was eight years old.  I had always been overlooked by most of the coaches I played for.   My dad, being who he is, would never step in and speak up on my behalf. I used to not understand why.  Later  in life he explained to me that it was my job to show who I was as a person and a player and that if he had done anything other than be there when I wanted to work that it wouldn’t be truly me. When I was twelve our travel team hadn’t been playing very well and a team meeting was called. Myself and another player were told we were being cut.  Everyone knew it wasn’t because of ability or anything in our control but it was that coaches kids were about to lose playing time if things didn’t change. That evening parents called a meeting with the coaches.  They basically told the coaches that the team was going to be dissolved if players were cut. ( I didn’t know about any of this until I reached high school. I just knew that my playing time suddenly increased.). The first game after that parent meeting I was used as a pinch hitter and hit the game winning homerun. Long story short our team came together and didn’t lose a single game the rest of the season. We won both a state title and a World Series title. I was named All-State, and World Series Offensive MVP.  Looking back on that I learned that I truly did have to work hard and believe in myself. Since then I have struggled at times but knew that I simply needed to work hard and trust the process. My Dad has always been there to guide me and tell me hard truths about myself that I needed to hear but didn’t want to hear. He has always been my biggest fan and sitting just inside the shadows supporting me.  Through high school I have learned the awful taste of defeat and the thrill of overcoming and fighting for victory. We were a terrible team my freshman season but made state my sophomore season. I have learned to be a leader by watching older teammates and coaches. I feel that my skills, work ethic, and leadership abilities will be of great value to the right program.