HOUSTON - Star Santa Fe High School pitcher Rome Shubert was on the mound at the New Balance Future Star Series National Tournament.
"Felt good. First inning, just had to settle in a little bit," Shubert said.
Shubert is competing for the Houston Athletics summer ball team and Coach Ricky Watkins.
“It's a blessing right?” Watkins said about writing Shubert’s name in the line-up.
It’s only the fourth time Shubert has pitched since the he was wounded in May’s deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School.
"You can't tell. that's the coolest thing about Rome. That's what I tell everybody. Before he went through it, he was a high-character guy, and since then, he's remained the high-character guy,” Watkins said.
Shubert looks like the same Shubert as before with the curly red hair underneath his cap. And the heat? Radar guns have him in the mid-80s as he pitched in front of a few scouts and dozens of parents.
The only thing different about Shubert is the “Pray for SF” on his sleeve, which does attract attention.
"I get a lot of looks. People don't really say anything about it, but yeah, it does,” Shubert said of the sleeve attracting attention.
In this game, Shubert throws well, but his team loses 2-0 in his last outing of the summer.
What is life like now for Shubert?
"It feels great. Feels great to be out here. Still alive and doing the things I love. It just feels really good,” Shubert said.
His outlook is much like the day itself: bright and sunny.
Shubert will be a junior in the fall. He has already committed to play baseball at the University of Houston.