"There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time. I
owe him my best."  - Joe DiMaggio

A few years ago the Austin Baseball Club had the pleasure of having the following player involved in our program. We are proud to have had the opportunity to be part of his baseball career:

Observations written by a scout: Michael is a 5'8 145 lb left handed outfielder from Texas with very good present strength.  He's the captain of the All-Time Perfect Game Hustle team.  His aggressiveness is almost a distraction and is a sub-plot to any game he's playing in.  Michael is a left handed hitter with a run and slap hitting style reminiscent of Ichiro's.  Michael has the hand/eye coordination to make consistent solid contact with this approach and he's shown us the discipline to take pitches and take a walk as well.  Much like Ichiro, if you hang a pitch on the inside half of the plate, Michael has the pop to hit it into a gap and run for a while as well.  He gets down to first base around 4.2 every time he hits the ball (or even when he walks) and intimidates infielders on ground balls, who know they need to hurry their throws.  Wright will steal bases with abandon (and always a head first Pete Rose slide) and occasionally get thrown out trying to take the extra base but it won't make him hesitant the next time.  He's an ideal leadoff hitter.  Michael is a good defensive outfielder who will get to a lot of balls.  He's best suiting to left field because of his throwing arm.  Overall, this is a high performance player who will likely play at a high college level and max out his physical tools.

Thoughts from his father when I asked him to share: My son really enjoyed the games these past two weekends with ABC. He loves the competition and being on the field with guys that are as devoted to the game as himself. We incorporate many of the techniques that ABC teaches in our daily workouts on our own. It has all helped him to become a better player. He has been lifting weights consistently and getting stronger. He has a set of the same arm bands that you use at ABC on the back porch and works out with them almost nightly. I think it shows in that his throwing strength has improved. He goes to the track two or three times a week to run sprints and he is hitting a minimum of 4 times a week. Each session he hits a bucket of balls off the tee, a bucket of front side, a bucket of nothing but bunting, a bucket of live pitch's and he takes a bucket of fungo for defensive work. His high school coach has given us access to the field and he is able to work there. I think this provides excellent and immediate feedback on how he is doing. Yesterday afternoon, during batting practice, he hit three balls out of the park. For the four games that ABC played these past two weekends, Michael was on base 15 out of 16 at bats 16. It's been almost impossible to keep him off the bases. This past weekend he was stealing bases almost at will. It is a testament to his drive, work ethic and association with ABC. He has come a long way" Michael's dad

Wright Signs with Irish - By Rick Cantu, Austin American-Statesman  Lockhart senior Michael Wright has a streak that Cal Ripken can relate to. A center fielder for the Lions baseball team, Wright has never missed a day of school. From Kindergarten until today, young Michael has had his hand raised when teachers called daily roll. Given that an academic school year is 180 days, Wright’s perfect attendance streak is roughly at 2,200 days. By comparison, Ripken played in a major league-record 2,632 consecutive games, all with the Baltimore Orioles. His streak shattered the record set by the original Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 straight for the fabled Yankees from 1923 to 1939. “Between my sister Amanda (an eight grader at Lockhart Junior High) and me, we’ve got more than 22 years of perfect attendance,” Michael said. “We don’t take the opportunity of missing a day of school very lightly.” 

  The same dedication Wright has shown in the classroom is apparent on the campus baseball diamond, too. The 5-foot-7, 155-pound Wright has emerged as one of the top high school players in Central Texas . Hidden in the dot-on-the-map town of Lockhart (population 12,944) – about 30 miles south of Austin – Wright might only be found by using a locater map.

That certainly wasn’t the case recently when he signed to play collegiate baseball at Notre Dame. Wright might be small in stature but he will not be the new “Rudy” at Notre Dame. He’s hitting a cool .500 for the Lions and has stolen nine consecutive bases. He has been labeled a hustler on the field, a modern-day Pete Rose who never leaves a game with a clean uniform. That’s what caught Notre Dame coach Paul Mainieri’s attention when Wright played for his club team, the Austin Baseball Club, the last three years as a summer tournament in Marietta, Ga. Wright hit .555 in seven games – one of the highest batting averages in the 100-team tournament – while using a wood bat. “Michael’s ability as a left-handed hitter with outstanding speed will allow him to get on base and create havoc foe the opposing team,” Mainieri said. “He knows how to play the short game but also can drive the ball to all fields. He has a tremendous feel for the game, which will allows him to run the ball down in the outfield.”  Wright said he was sold on Notre Dame after attending a Fighting Irish football home game in September. “It was a dream come true, “Wright said on Notre Dame’s offer.” Wright is not a secret in Central Texas , The Lion’s leadoff hitter batted .508. collected a team-high 14 RBI’s and stole 16 bases last year. This season started slowly for him after he tore a hamstring early in the spring, which has caused him to miss nearly half the year. But back with a vengeance, he was 15-for-30 in his first nine games and scored 12 runs over that span.  Wright offers a piece of advice for other youngsters who would like to play college baseball at a place like Notre Dame.  “Hard work doesn’t promise anything, but without it you don’t stand a chance,” he said. A good attendance record doesn’t hurt either.

"It is an honor to be apart of ABC and I thank you for every moment I have been allowed to share with you and the ABC organization.", Michael Wright