AVON — Playing first base for the Riverside High School baseball team has fit Ethan Blasingame’s personality perfectly.
Ethan enjoys meeting and talking to as many new people as he can, he said.
“I like to talk, and at first base you get to talk a lot. Whenever a runner made it to first base, I would always try to talk with him and get to know him,” said Ethan, a three-year starter, said. “All my life I have been that way. I have just always enjoyed getting to know others.”
Ethan is far more than just a people person, however.
With a 4.0 GPA, he will graduate from Riverside soon as the valedictorian of his class. His hard work in the classroom has earned him a full-ride scholarship to Delta State University where he hopes to study nursing.
Watching the bravery of nurses around the country during the current coronavirus pandemic has only made Ethan want to become a nurse more, he said.
“I have always wanted to go out and help other people,” Ethan said. “I know people consider nurses heroic, but I am not trying to be heroic. I just want to do what I can to help other people.”
Ethan said he was originally sad when he realized his senior year of high school would be cut short.
“At first I was really upset, but then I realized that a lot of people are dying and I should not be worried about playing baseball. I realized that I needed to be thankful that my family members are still healthy.”
Ethan said he has also reflected on how much his high school meant to him.
“I am so happy that I went to Riverside,” he said. “I liked how diverse it was and how it allowed me to meet all types of people. I have so many different types of friends, and it makes him feel very fortunate.”
Ethan takes pride in the accomplishments made by his Riverside baseball team over the last four years. He said he was especially grateful to get to play under head coach Boo Ellis and to get to play with his fellow seniors, Dawson Graham, Zach Polson and Dalton Lefler.
“There is a different standard for baseball at our school, and I think we lived up to it,” Ethan said.
“We not only played well, but we treated the game and our opponents with respect. We played like gentlemen, and that is how the game is supposed to be played.”
