Making a high school varsity sports team is an achievement worth celebrating, even more so as a freshman.
Andrew Ressler, currently a sophomore, knows this feeling firsthand. Ressler was one of the few freshmen to make the varsity baseball team.

“It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt. Two of my other good friends made it [too], so it was a pretty cool feeling,” Ressler said.

Ressler developed his love of baseball from an early age when he would watch baseball games with his dad. His love for the game grew. As a child, he could often be found in his yard playing with his plastic bat and wiffle ball. Ressler, a pitcher, has hardly any days off when it comes to his sport. Even when he does have some downtime, he uses that time to better enhance his skills.

“In the off-season, I practice with my teammates at my travel team facility and work with my coaches. I also do a lifting program made by my coach to help me get stronger,” Ressler said.

In addition to playing for Huntley High School’s team, Ressler also plays for a travel team, the Pro Player Hurricanes. During his freshman year, he was on the school basketball team; however, he eventually decided to focus primarily on baseball.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, schools were shut down in March of 2020. This development caused all spring sports to be canceled. Fortunately, the stoppage of school did not impact Ressler’s dedication and skill.

“I played all summer and I felt like I got better with all the extra time we had in the first months of the pandemic. This summer also helped me get in touch with a lot of colleges,” Ressler said.

With the pandemic continuing to wreak havoc across the country, a large number of schools are still functioning remotely. Athletics are still up in the air, and it is unknown if baseball will be functioning this year as normal, or even at all.

“I hope that we will have a season, and if we have one, the main goal is to win a state championship,” Ressler said.
Only time will tell if Ressler will get to play this season due to the pandemic, but regardless of the circumstances, Ressler is certainly one to watch.