Recalling one of his favorite memories in baseball, Austin Wang (12) describes his experience during Central Coast Sections (CCS) Championships last year, where the varsity baseball team made a comeback in the last inning. Austin remembers the moment when, down by eleven runs, the game began to shift toward Harker’s favor.

“It was crazy, I remember I got up to bat still not thinking we’re going to win, but I got a hit,” Austin said. “When I got back into the dugout after scoring I heard someone say we’re only down by one run and everyone was screaming in the dugout.”

Having always had an affinity toward sports, Austin has played baseball since the first grade and joined the upper school varsity baseball team in freshman year. Austin sees the sport as a way for him to destress from a day’s events.

“As I’ve gotten closer to my teammates and had more experience playing, I’ve begun to think of baseball more as an activity [where] I can have fun with others rather than it being uptight about playing time or having good stats,” Austin said.

One of Austin’s favorite memories from baseball is the CCS championship, and his experience in that game greatly affected his playing style. Describing its impact on him, Austin notes the importance of confidence.

“In baseball especially, when we play, being confident at bat is a big part because it makes us more aggressive at swinging,” Austin said. “So after CCS, when I was playing games in the summer, I was more confident in my ability to do well against pitchers.”

Not only has baseball given Austin fond memories, but it has also played a large role in helping Austin connect with others. As a new-to-Harker student in freshman year, Austin used to be more shy at the start of high school. Yet, through his interactions in baseball, Austin began to socialize more and make new friends.

“In the beginning of high school I didn’t really know anybody … so I didn’t talk that much,” Austin said. “As I’ve gotten to know everybody better, baseball has helped me to grow out of my shell and to be able to connect with others better.”

Friend Shrey Khater (12), who also joined Harker in ninth grade, describes how Austin grew more extroverted over the course of high school.

“One thing I liked was that he wasn’t different around other people. He was always the same and he spoke his mind,” Shrey said. “He’s more outgoing, he’s a lot more social now, [but] in terms of his speaking his mind and always being the same with everyone, that’s still the same.”

Baseball not only helped Austin act more outgoing, but it also shaped his leadership skills. Head coach Mike Delfino notes Austin’s development as a team player over the years.

“He’s a leader by example … you can see it in the way he took ownership of things,” Delfino said. “Every once in a while you’d see his emotion come out in a good way. That’s good because a kid … who comes out and states something [has the effect to make] other kids listen to them.”

Austin brings the same leadership to his role as a violinist, which he started playing in third grade. Friend Kailash Ranganathan (12) describes Austin’s development of leadership throughout high school in his music.

“[Leadership] was also something he gained [in orchestra]. Back then it was more of, ‘Oh, he’s a good violin player,’ but now he’s even better and he’s a section leader,” Kailash said. “It’s cool to see how he’s transforming his passion and sharing it with others as a section leader.”

Since playing violin in the third grade to now playing as a section leader, Austin believes that his growth in orchestra allowed him to connect with his peers better.

“Being a section leader has helped me to better understand where my fellow peers are at in orchestra or know how well we’re playing,” Austin said. “Through orchestra, the main thing I’ve gotten out of it is I can understand my peers better and how they’re feeling about certain things.”

Alongside leadership, Austin also enjoys another simpler aspect of orchestra. Austin feels that the orchestra’s group dynamic is what draws him in.

“[My passion for music] was playing with others and being a part of a group, simply making music together,” Austin said. “Those things are the main reason why I enjoy playing in orchestra because I really like playing the music I listen to and then trying to recreate it.”