Ben Smallwood '23 Recruiting Profile

Ever since I was 7 years old, baseball has made a huge impact on my life. Every year I play, I am always looking to improve every single game and develop as a player. This game has given me many skills that would make me a rock-solid asset to a college team.

I began trying out for travel teams in 2016. From then until 2017, I tried out many times, but I never got an offer for any of them.  I never hung my head down or gave up--I tried again. I began working with pitching and hitting coaches over the winter in 2017 to help me improve on my game. I tried out again in 2018, and thanks to all of that hard work, I was able to get three travel team offers for me to join them. I have played 13 seasons in Fairfax Little League and made it to two FFLL all-tournament teams in Juniors, both times as the #1 starting pitcher.

I am the kind of player who never wants to leave the baseball field once I get on. I have always wanted to get many opportunities to play as much as I can every single game. For this reason, I have worked very hard on both pitching AND hitting, to make myself even more valuable. 

Every time my teammates make good plays, I always go up to them and praise them. When someone strikes out or makes and error, I tell them that it’s okay and that they’ll get it next time. I am always out there to cheer on and support my teammates during games.

I would really like to go to a school that would offer opportunities for extra help if I needed it in order for me to have an excellent education as well as a team that has great coaching that will help me improve on my game.