Paul Griessel Jr. '17 Recruiting Profile

The father of #1 NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby once told him, " If you ain't first, you're last." Although this quote is from a comedic movie, Talladega Nights, I believe it has relevance in the real world. Living in California I have been able to play baseball year round at a high level since I was six years old.  My summer/club team is the Danville Hoots Connie Mack and I am the varsity starting catcher at my high school. This season (2016) my high school team won the CA North Coast Section Div 3 Championship. Our overall record was 26 - 2 and I caught every inning of all 28 games. Education/Academics­­­­­­:  I consistently maintain excellent grades at one of the top public high schools in the SF Bay Area. My best ACT scores so far are: Math 33, Science 33, English 33 and Reading 31. In 9th and 10th grade I took challenging classes including Algebra 2/Trig, Spanish 3, AP Euro History and Chemistry. In 11th Grade I took Honors Physics, Pre-Calculus, and AP US History. Senior year I will be taking four AP classes including AP Calculus AB and Engineering and Applied Physics Honors. Other Sports: Played football freshman year and was the starting wide receiver and MVP of the team.  Also, played JV basketball for two years and was a starting power forward. Junior Golf Association of Northern California:  Competed in JGANC tournaments throughout the Bay Area until age 14. Seven 1st Place finishes as well as multiple Second and Third Place awards. Boy Scouts of America:  Awarded Eagle Scout (Summer 2016), Troop 303, Orinda, CA.  Strong weekly commitment to this values-based organization that helps build character and trains for participating citizenship. Stanley Middle School, Lafayette, CA:  Earned the Erwin Mattson Award for “Most Outstanding Athlete”. Playing collegiate baseball is my main goal and every time I step onto the field, it reminds me there is no easy way to achieve that except continuously working hard and improving my game.