Athlete of the Month: Waddell works toward MLB dreams

JV+baseball+second+baseman%2C+Zion+Waddell%2C+practices+his+throw+at+Birmingham+Community+Charter+High+School.+

Alan Ruiz

JV baseball second baseman, Zion Waddell, practices his throw at Birmingham Community Charter High School.

Emily Flores

Every month, we recognize two student-athletes, one from a boys team and another from a girls team for their performance on the field. This month, we recognize Freshman Zion Waddell. 

Waddell, a second baseman for the Birmingham Community Charter High School JV baseball team, has been playing baseball since he was six. 

Q:  What makes you stand out as a player? 

A:  I am one of the best players on the team to be honest because I’m kinda crazy about it and my skills make me stand out. 

Q:  What are your strengths as a baseball player?

A:  I’m a hard worker and I practice a lot.   

Q:   What do you find challenging about baseball?

A:   It’s just a high-level competition and we have a lot of games.

Q:  What areas of the sport are you looking to improve in?

A:  On the mental side of it, I get down a lot. When I do bad, it gets in my head. So I guess I’m working on getting motivated. 

Q:  What have you enjoyed most about playing for the JV team this season?

A: The competitiveness because I really like how competitive and fun it is.  

Q:  What memories do you have from your time on the baseball team this season?

A:  I remember this one game my team and I ended up walking off and there was a lot of energy and it was really fun.

Q:  How have you changed as a person since you started playing baseball?

A:  It makes me want to work harder because doing school and baseball is a lot of work and it shows and teaches me to work harder. 

Q:  What do you want to achieve as a baseball player? Or goals do you have?

A:  I’m hoping when I get older I will make it to Major League Baseball (MLB).