By Derrick Smith

Almost every athlete that plays competitive sports wants to be successful. They know they have to put in work and effort in order to reach the level they want to be at, but it also takes others around them. Tyler Shaw has worked hard but also says that there is someone that has helped him and served as a role model for him.

“My most significant influence and role model is a senior from my freshman year Derek Eubank,” he said. “He taught me how to fill in a role and do a job for our team and how to accept failure with success.”

Shaw is a junior at Amber-Pocasset High School, where he is a utility player on the baseball team. He enjoys playing baseball and says that he keeps himself going by remembering what he has come through.

“Failures that I have had in the past motivate me to be better and continue to get better,” he said. “It takes a lot of hours of extra work even when I don’t want to do it, forcing myself to put in extra reps when no one else will is the key to being successful.”

Throughout his years of playing baseball, Tyler has enjoyed some memorable moments but says that there is one that he enjoys the most.

“The highlight moment of my career has to be our trip to the state tournament this past spring,” Shaw said. “I feel like everyone doubted us and it was a great feeling to make it to the tournament.”

While he has put in the work to get better, Shaw knows that his teammates are doing the same.

“One of the teammates I probably battle with the most is our right fielder,” he stated. “We both try to prove who is better or who can handle the pressure amongst other things. That just makes both of us better. I think that the least appreciated kid on our team is a freshman named Tanner. He is still new to the game of baseball and he is figuring things out. But he gets better every day and has a lot of potential for his later years in high school.”