Carson Sherrod is currently finding himself in a position most 17-year-old athletes only dream of. The W.T. White High School pitcher is a 6’4”, 220-pound titan when it comes to his skills on the mound, especially with his 96-mile-per-hour fast ball that is part of his current repertoire of pitches. He currently has committed to Texas A&M University, and is widely considered to be a top pick in the MLB draft this June.
Carson was born two and a half months premature, which resulted in auditory nerve damage occurring in his ears that progressed to be more prevalent the older he became. His parents did not realize the severity of his hearing loss until he was three years old, when doctors eventually determined that Carson had lost at least 53 percent of his hearing. Because of his family’s lack of finances, Carson resorted to wearing hearing aids that were provided by his school, which proved to generally be inefficient while also causing embarrassment.
After years of his hearing loss impacting his academics and social life, Carson was contemplating leaving his beloved sport of baseball behind due to his auditory complications. It was at this moment when his friends and family collaborated with the Callier Center for Communication Disorders in Dallas to raise the $7,500 necessary to purchase the sleek digital hearing aids that Carson needed. With his hearing restored, Carson’s productivity on the mound as well as the classroom continued to blossom, and his skills on the diamond ultimately attracted the attention of several professional baseball scouts.
Carson’s future
With the speed of his fastball improving from the low 80s to mid 90s in just two years, the sky is the limit for the potential Carson possesses as a pitcher. He currently owns an overall record of 5-2 for his senior year, with an incredibly low ERA of 1.45 and 53 strikeouts. He has been the leader for his high school team which just reached the playoffs for its 32nd consecutive season. While time will ultimately tell if a baseball career will pan out, there is no denying how auditory technology changed his life for the better, and his story serves as a reminder that anything is possible for those struggling with hearing loss.
