Sophomore Andrés Rolón has been an invaluable member of the Taft College baseball team. Andrés’ name is quick to be mentioned after a win for the Cougars, but that comes as no surprise for a player who has been playing baseball since he was four years old. Andrés grew up in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico where he began playing baseball and eventually attended Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy.
Andrés is no stranger to struggle, living far away from home to pursue his goals of being able to transfer to a respected university and to eventually play baseball professionally. Andrés has even said that the struggles are what make being a student-athlete valuable having said that his favorite part of being a student-athlete was, “learning how to manage your time.” A team player through and through, Andrés’ favorite memory from Taft College was being able to watch his team win the wild card in playoffs.
Andrés gets his inspiration to play baseball from his community’s shared love for the sport and from his favorite athletes: Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Trout. Andrés attributes his ability to hit to him being able to “breathe nice and easy” and “slow the game down”. Andrés Rolón is a student-athlete that embodies the virtues of being a Taft College athlete, bringing both skill and heart to his team and those around him.