Gunnar Haywood '23 Recruiting Profile

Ever since I was very young playing elite baseball has been one of my biggest goals. I began playing at six years old with my grandpa, I feel very blessed to have someone like him to coach and teach me. My grandpa played for Eastern Michigan and then pitched for the US Marines. He has taught me almost everything I know about the game. The first time I watched a game was with my grandpa in the living room, I developed a passion for the game and have been working my hardest ever since. 

Over the years I've had many unique experiences that many people haven't had. Those experiences have made me into the person I am today. When I was very young my father abandoned us, leaving my mom as a single mother to me and my sister. It was tough not having two parents and it was even tougher on my mom who had to fill in two roles at once, because of this I have become very responsible, cooperative, and independent. In 8th grade I had to transfer schools twice because of an incident with a gang that was completely out of my control. I grew mentally from the experience and it taught me a lot about life. 

For my freshman year in high school(2019-2020) I went to Riverdale Baptist School. Their baseball team was ranked #1 in the MISAL division during the 2018-2019 school year and I made the varsity team as a freshman. My daily transit was over two hours in public transportation, traveling that large distance on my own everyday meant I matured quickly and became responsible, disciplined, and adaptable. My varsity coach had us working out all year long since the second week of school. As a result I am always working hard, working to get better, I get along with my teammates and coaches, I am coachable, and follow instructions. I'm sure that all of the physical and mental traits I have developed over the years will help me later in life  and they would make me a good addition to a college team.

For my freshman and sophomore years I maintained about a 3.7 GPA, I am a good student and can get my work done. I would be interested in taking a Law, Medicine, or Engineering major. I have no specific preference on location but I am looking for a school where I can feel comfortable and feel like an asset to my team. I hope I am the right fit for your school and I hope I can achieve my goal of playing collegiate baseball.