An average Monday through Friday routine for athlete and senior James Walsh is waking up bright and early for school, heading to practice from 3:30-9:00 p.m., where he lifts, throws and catches, and then finally heading home to eat dinner, do homework and recover. But a weekend is no time to slack off. Although Walsh, just like everyone else, enjoys hanging out with his friends and family and relaxing on the weekend, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t head to the gym for more practice first. 

Walsh’s interest in baseball started as soon as he could stand on two feet. He first began by playing catch with his older brother, 2020 alum Connor Walsh. Walsh always knew that he wanted to play baseball but he began to get serious about it in seventh grade. Although he did have side hobbies like basketball, he soon realized that baseball was his strong suit. 

Baseball wasn’t the only thing he was gaining interest in. Walsh also discovered that he was passionate about joining the military and would do it even if it meant he didn’t get to play baseball on a collegiate level. One day, after a tough game, Walsh received a call from The United States Coast Guard Academy, asking him to come to their academy and play baseball there. “To see all my hard work payoff was a complete weight off my shoulders,” Walsh said.  

But that good news didn’t come without bad news first. Walsh had always been aiming to play at the United States Naval Academy and when he received a call from them, rejecting him, he was crushed. In Walsh’s mind, he played exceptionally well that game and was expecting to get in, so receiving that news shocked him. “My life was in shambles,” Walsh said. 

But life moves on, and so did Walsh. Whenever Walsh feels like giving up and loses all motivation, he takes a second to look into the future and imagines himself in five to 10 years and what he will be doing. This tactic helps Walsh to calm himself and remember why he chose all of the things he is currently passionate about in life.

As well as being a strong baseball player, Walsh is also a strong leader. Before a game, Walsh always takes a moment to make sure that he and his teammates are in a good head space. Walsh likes to listen to music before a game and get himself hyped up as well as mentally talking to himself in order to prepare for the game. “He’s a really good leader and he works really hard. He’s always communicating. For example, there was a baseball workout the other day and he texted in the group chat to remember to dress warmly,” senior teammate Rob Carpenter said. 

Balancing school and sports is no easier for Walsh than it is for everybody else. As a managing editor for newspaper, Walsh improves his communication and leadership skills by working with staff editors and page writers to submit final pieces.