Dear Archbishop Carroll,

I came in and dreamed about the best. I dreamed about winning a PCL or a state championship, walking through the halls as a champion, being a stud on the baseball team, having a great baseball career, and eventually going onto play Division 1 baseball like the countless Carroll baseball players before me. When I got to school I met kids that would eventually turn into my enemies, and kids that would turn into my best friends. Little did I know the wild roller coaster that you would take me on. 

Freshman year was just a mini part of the trip. The baseball coach that I had dreamed of playing for got fired before I could even step on the field with him. Never stopping and always working, I earned my spot on the team with a new coach, and as a freshman I was pitching in some of the biggest games of the year, and starting in almost half the games. Everything was looking great. 

Sophomore year came and there were even more dreams. There were dreams about competing for a PCL chip and dreams about being All- Catholic. Those dreams were squashed though when COVID hit and our season got cancelled. What a let down, but at least I was only a sophomore. I didn’t realize how much just one little season meant. Quarantine hit and at the time, it was the greatest thing to happen to me. I spent all day working, whether it was lifting, going to practice, or hitting off the tee or with my dad. I didn’t stop. This was where I was going to separate myself and reach the goals I had when I came into Carroll. 

As the work started to increase, I started to work myself past my limits. I developed a back injury that would take me away from baseball for 8 months. Just like that I was stripped from the game that I had spent my whole life obsessing over. A couple weeks later I got jumped and was beat brutally while I was unconscious. My life was completely flipped just like that. 

My dreams never left, though, and while I was at my lowest I was still as determined as ever to accomplish my goals. Going into that junior season my head wasn’t right. I had just went to court and was still recovering from my back injury. The baseball season was a complete failure. I was still struggling with bad anxiety and felt lost even though the bad events that had happened to me were in the past. 

After a summer of getting out of my comfort zone and enjoying the moments with my travel team, I came back into the the school year feeling better than ever. My relationship with God has become stronger than ever and that is something that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Right now we are the fourth seed in the playoffs, about to make a run for the PCL chip that I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve had a really successful season and I have a good chance of making All Catholic. Everything that I dreamed of and worked for when I came into Carroll is coming to fruition. 

If I would’ve made a plan on how I would accomplish my goals, I definitely wouldn’t have drawn out the past four years. I really believe that I would not have been able to reach my goals if it weren’t for the struggle that I‘ve had to persevere through. I can only thank you for that, Carroll. Even though at some points it seemed like going to Carroll was the worst decision of my life, it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. It has given me moments, friends, and lessons that I will never forget. 

Thank You Carroll,

Roman Tozzi