I HEAR MY NAME
ANNOUNCED, AND MY
WALK-UP SONG BEGINS
TO PLAY. I LIGHTLY TAP THE
FLOOR WITH THE KNOB OF MY BAT,
THE WEIGHT FALLING TO THE DIRT,
TAKING ME BACK TO MY DAYS
PLAYING IN LITTLE LEAGUE.
MY BODY KNOWS WHAT TO DO.
I SLOWLY DIG MY BACK FOOT INTO
THE BATTER'S BOX, TAPPING
THE PLATE WITH MY BAT, AND
ADJUSTING MY HANDS TO GET
INTO THE PROPER BATTING
STANCE; THIS IS MY ON-DECK
ROUTINE, WHICH HAS BEEN THE
SAME SINCE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I BREATHE. I HOLD. I EXHALE.
THE ONLY THING THAT EXISTS AT
THIS MOMENT IS ME AND MY BAT—
THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS
RIGHT NOW IS THE CONFIDENCE
I HAVE IN MY OWN ABILITY.
And, of course, I'm talking about baseball,
but I'm also thinking beyond baseball.
Stepping up to the plate has always meant
more than just baseball; in many ways, the
individual challenge of each pitch serves as
a representation of unique challenges that
come in life—especially, life as a student.
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