Anyone who personally knows me or my son Mikey knows he fell in love with baseball when he was six years old. Being a baseball player has taught him many things. It has taught him how to have patience, be a team player, and how to deal with pressure. Along with learning how to live in the moment and appreciate the "now". He has also learned that persistence pays off in some way shape, or form whether it be by learning a lesson, accomplishing small and/or big goals set for yourself, or achieving what you've been working towards. 

We spent many long nights in the fields over the past eleven years. Eating McDonald's, little caesars, and crockpot meals at 9:30 p.m., and doing homework in the car on the way to practice became a natural way of life for us. The way his face lights up when he's getting ready to play though, is an image a mother will never forget.

Of course, with most things in life, you have the good and the bad (minor setbacks). Mikey has overcome so much since he started playing baseball. From being put on daily growth hormone injections for 3.5 years to passing the doctor's predicted max height/weight by 4.5 inches, 25 pounds, and quite a bit of unexpected muscle. In 2018 he was told he could not play any sports (not even in his front yard) for a year minimum because of a pretty hefty bone cyst that needed to be removed from his shoulder. He didn't let that stop him though. Despite the surgery, recovery, being in a new school, dealing with bullying, and being overlooked, he still went out there and impressed the coaches, as we all knew he would. He landed a spot on the JV squad and was a fill-in on the varsity squad freshman year. The sophomore year he earned a spot on Varsity (which was his best year academically, mentally, emotionally, and physically.) Unfortunately, he was unable to play for his Junior year due to personal issues within our family, he had to attend online school at that time. Now, here we are as a senior, which should be his best year in school before adulthood begins but due to UIL regulations regarding transfer students that are in athletics, he is unable to play for the school this year. However, we can't let that stop him from working towards what he's been working towards for the last 11 years. 

So here we are three months shy of graduation and he is currently still an uncommitted Senior. It's a little harder for him to receive the recognition and attention from College recruiters that he would if he were playing for the school, but we're still going to do everything we can to get him a few offers before school starts in the fall. There are so many different camps, evaluations, and college recruiting events that he can attend and as much as I would like to pay for them all, I don't have the funds needed to do so. 

If you can contribute to making my son's dream become a reality, we would greatly appreciate it. This kid is beyond deserving of this, if you know him, you know that. And if you don't know him, I promise you would agree with that statement if you were to meet him. We understand completely If you're unable to contribute right now, or even at all. All we ask is that you please share this fundraiser with your family and friends so we can get as many people as possible to read his story and hopefully, it lands in the hands of the right people. Thank you for taking the time to at the very least read this and thank you to all of you who are continuing to support him on this journey. 

If you would like to check out his player page/stats you may do so by going to https://www.ncsasports.org/baseball-recruiting/texas/pflugerville/weiss-high-school/michael-smith1463