By Emory Kouplen

As baseball season is approaching, Rylee Wallace is the player to be on the lookout for.

Wallace is a Sophomore at Ardmore High School and he plays third base. He started playing baseball when he was “4 or 5” years old. Wallace shares that he “doesn’t really know what led him to decide to play baseball,” but what leads him to continue playing is “the time and hard work he put into the sport that he can’t let go to waste.”

Because teamwork is so important in baseball, Rylee is quick to take it upon himself to maintain the closeness of the team.

“When my teammates are having a bad day or are just not feeling it that day,” Rylee shares how he “tells them to pick it up because their attitude can affect those around them” and it is important to keep a positive environment for all of the members of the team.

Baseball is a team sport. Rylee shares that the biggest lesson he has learned during his time as a baseball player is that it is vital to “work as a team.” He’ sure to emphasize that in baseball, “you can’t succeed without teamwork.”

In his years playing baseball, what Rylee enjoys most is the relational aspect of the sport.

“What I enjoy most about baseball is the memories and friends being made on and off the field and all of the relationships we have built up.”

What Rylee also enjoys about baseball is “just going out on the field, putting on a show for the fans, and giving his all out on the field.”

As an experienced baseball player, Rylee is sure to advise future athletes: “Some advice I would give to someone who wants to play the sport of baseball is to be able to take adversity and move on. The game is full of adversity. Some days you might not be yourself, that’s OK. Baseball is full of failure. You just have to know how to take it and get right back up from it and never listen to someone talking down on you. Always put your heart out on the field.”