Tanner Hoffman, a student at Spring Grove Area High School, has been playing baseball since he was just three years old. He has not stopped since, and this game has taught him so much about not only his craft, but also about life and everything around it.

While Tanner has been playing this game for quite some time, he has had standout moments during this 13 years of playing. His favorite moment so far has been all the people he has been able to meet, but the one that tops it all is during the semi-final game in Aberdeen, Maryland, during the Ripken tournament where he hit a walk off double to send his team to the final, where they would eventually win it all.

Tanner’s life has not only changed by what he has been able to accomplish in baseball, but what the game has done to him outside of being on the field. Baseball has impacted his life outside of playing by building his mental health. He says, “In baseball, you fail more than you succeed, so by doing that I’ve built a mindset of not letting guys beat me. If you beat me once, you’re not going to beat me again. Baseball will bring you down real quick. How are you going to react? That’s impacted me with things outside of baseball.”

While baseball has done a lot to impact Tanner emotionally, he has also received many accolades for his strong ability when playing. Tanner has received over 20 medals from play over his years. Tanner was also not able to do this alone, as baseball is a team sport. His closest teammate through these years of play has been Abrum Dull, as they have been playing together since they were just 10 years old.