Cooper Krause '20 Recruiting Profile

I have loved baseball for as long as I can remember. I have played the game competitively at a high level since I was six years old. So it was a huge shock to me when I didn’t make my high school JV baseball team my freshman year. I figured there were two ways to handle this disappointment. One way was to quit. The other was to re-dedicate myself to working harder than I had ever worked before and strive to make the team the next year. From that day until the first day of tryouts the following year, I did something to get better at baseball every single day. Whether it was hitting, fielding, throwing, or working out, I was doing it. Even during family vacations, I would find a local batting cage to hit in. During this time, I got stronger gaining 15-20 pounds of muscle working out; I got faster; and I became a better all-around ball player. I arrived at tryouts the next year feeling completely confident in my ability to make the team. Sure enough, I made the JV team and had a great season, becoming one of the team leaders offensively and defensively, and winning the Coaches Award. The best part about the year was getting called up to varsity for the end of their season and the playoffs. We are playing in the State Championship and I could not be more proud to be part of the team that got us there. This obstacle not only taught me a lesson about baseball, but about life: if you work hard enough at something, you can achieve it no matter what stands in your way.

I want to take this lesson and apply it to all areas of my life. I just need a chance.