Avery Schwartz '23 Recruiting Profile

My name is Avery Schwartz of the class of 2023. I am a student at Phoenixville Area High School where I am a sophomore. 

Ever since I was a young child, I have enjoyed the sport that is baseball more than any other sport. I have always seen baseball as a sort of chess match, where two opposing managers use their players to the best of their abilities to defeat each other. When I first dove into the baseball world, I was a young child around the age of 3 playing simply for fun. As I grew older, I was aware that I had natural talent for the sport but I quickly realized that natural talent alone would not be enough to propel me to the next level. What matters more than talent is to put in time and effort to develop my body, and my mind to move forward on my path toward playing the game at a higher level. Learning the game by practicing on and off the field by watching videos of great coaches and players, reading books about the mental aspects of the game, and honing my craft every way that I can. Something that became incredibly clear to me within the past year, and especially during the Covid pandemic is how important it is to maintain your physical conditioning. Throughout the 2020 season, there were limits to how much time our team could be together practicing and working out, therefore the responsibility was on me to find ways to take care of my body on my own. I created workout routines, as well as arm care routines to make sure my body will be ready to go when we get the green light to play ball in 2021.  

And even though I love playing baseball more than doing just about anything else, I also know the great value in my education, which is why I have chosen to take several high-level courses and made it my goal to achieve above-average grades in the classroom. I am a student before an athlete and wouldn’t sacrifice my success in school for baseball statistics. One of the things that I am most proud of is achieving my goal of maintaining a GPA above 4.0, which I have throughout my high school career.  

Athletics and academics are similar in the fact that teachers and coaches aren’t satisfied with simple results. They want to see the student/player develop into the best person possible and push themself beyond their limits. They look for the people who put in extra time to ensure outstanding outcomes, whether that is taking on extra credit, tutoring other students, attending more coaching sessions, or even asking for advice. It is actions like these that set me apart from other athletes. 

Both on and off the diamond I have taken on a leadership position for my club team, and I plan to do the same for my school team when the time comes. I love to share the knowledge that I learn with others, I love to see my teammates and friends having success on and off the field and I am excited to see where the journey takes me.