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By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

Perseverance is defined by the Mirriam-Webster dictionary as “continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition.” 

That definition fits senior Luis Acevedo of the West Forsyth baseball team perfectly. Now at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Acevedo, a shortstop, started playing baseball when he was 4 years old and was told he was too small to play baseball. 

Acevedo grew up in Patchogue, N.Y., which is on Long Island. His father, Luis Sr., took a promotion from BE Aerospace and moved the family to Clemmons, along with Luis, who was 10 at the time, mother Angelina and sister Isabella. 

“None of my family members ever really played baseball. My mom and my dad kind of just threw a glove and a bat in my hand and had me try something now, and I just fell in love with it,” Acevedo said. “It was just different than any other thing that I tried.”

Instead of giving up, Acevedo continued to work hard, is an integral part of the West Forsyth baseball team and has signed to play college baseball at N.C. A&T.  

“Honestly, in today’s baseball, it’s evolved a lot. And kids have gotten bigger. Kids in middle school are my height right now, and it’s insane,” Acevedo said. “So, it’s a really big difference.” 

The Acevedo family moved to Clemmons the summer before Acevedo’s fifth-grade year at Southwest Elementary, leaving Luis left out. 

“It was good because the elementary school I went to, they all went to Meadowlark (Middle School), which is the middle school I went to,” he said. “And I made friends from elementary school and all those kids that I made friends with went to middle school. So, it wasn’t like the move to elementary school when I first got there.” 

Not only did Acevedo have to get adjusted to a new city and a new school, but he also had to adjust to playing for a different travel baseball team. Acevedo chose not to play Little League baseball and instead played travel ball for the Colts to play more competitive baseball and because it allowed him to travel, he said. 

Still playing for the Colts, Acevedo went to Meadowlark Middle School, and that’s where his perseverance really started to show. 

“I got cut my sixth- and seventh-grade year,” he said. “The first year, I was sad, but at the same time they didn’t take any sixth-graders. I got to be the team manager, though. It means I almost made it.

“And then, seventh-grade year, when I didn’t make it was bad. They had emailed my mom to tell them if I made the team or not, and they told me I didn’t make it. And I was really mad.” 

Despite being upset, Acevedo wanted to prove the doubters wrong. 

“I kept on working, played travel ball,” he said. “And my love for the game is like no other. I love this game with my whole, entire heart. So, I wasn’t going to let that just defeat me. And I wasn’t going to stop or anything. I couldn’t. Myself wouldn’t let me do that.” 

Acevedo said nobody at Meadowlark told him why he didn’t make the team. However, he has a theory. 

“I think it was just my size,” he said. “I’ve always been on the (smaller) side. Even in high school now, all these kids, I mean they’re massive. And these kids are 190, 200 pounds, and I’m 165.” 

The hard work paid off and he made the team his eighth-grade season at Meadowlark. After Meadowlark, he went to West Forsyth as a freshman.

“So, the varsity level was really good at West,” Acevedo said of his freshman season. “So, I made the JV team. From eighth-grade to ninth-grade I got way better. I grew, I gained weight, and it was going good.  

“I made the JV team. I played about half the season and towards the end of the season I started heating up.”

According to him, Acevedo barely played on varsity his freshman season, in which the Titans finished 25-6 overall and 11-3 in the conference. However, the experience taught him something. 

“It was amazing, the speed of the game was way more intense,” he said. “The competitiveness was way more intense. But from the JV and varsity levels it was an insane difference. And just being around that team that year was insane because that team, they were all so good. It’s the best team I’ve ever been a part of. They made me feel at home, too.” 

One thing Coach Brad Bullard, who was the varsity baseball coach at West Forsyth at the time, told Acevedo was to put on some body mass during that offseason to prepare for his sophomore season.  

“Protein, just fattening stuff,” Acevedo said. “You know, it didn’t really matter what I ate. I just needed to eat because with me, it’s really hard for me to gain weight. I’m always active doing stuff and I burn that stuff off.”

Acevedo’s sophomore season had a rocky start.

“I had two scrimmages. I did OK,” he said. “And everyone thought I was going to start at short just because I got called up at the end of the year my freshman year. And I actually didn’t start the first four games. It was bringing me back to middle school when I didn’t make the team. It was really heartbreaking, but I just had to be a good teammate and cheer my teammates on.” 

He was given an opportunity early in the season. 

“I got a shot around the fourth or fifth game,” Acevedo said. “I did really good. I barreled a couple balls. I put balls in play, and I made the easy plays. And ever since then, that was the best year I’ve had at West.”

Then, a big change happened for the whole team the summer after Acevedo’s sophomore season ended. Bullard announced that he was resigning and, eventually, Kevin McIntosh, who was an assistant on the team, was named head coach.

“(Bullard) was a really good coach. He knew how to win,” Acevedo said. “He wouldn’t sugar coat anything. And he was always honest, which is actually what I prefer from a coach. I don’t really like soft coaches.” 

McIntosh being named head coach brought up a sense of the unknown. 

“He didn’t talk a lot that year that he was an assistant coach, so no one knew how (it) was going to go,” Acevedo said. “But honestly, he’s like a more laid-back version of Bullard. I like Mac a lot.”

McIntosh already knew what to expect from Acevedo. 

“I guess the thing that always stood out about Luis is how hard of a worker he is, how much time he puts into the game itself, and just working toward the best player that he could be,” McIntosh said.

That hard work translated on and off the field.

“When I say he’s a leader for us.” McIntosh said. That’s one of the qualities that he helps with the team. Individually, I think he leads by example and other kids see him getting extra swings in, taking extra ground balls after practice, on his own on the weekends.”

As a junior last season, Acevedo helped the Titans to an overall record of 23-7 and 11-3 in the conference. It wasn’t the best season for him at the plate. He batted .240. But his defense kept him in the starting lineup.

“From my sophomore year up until half of my junior year I was the leadoff hitter, one hole, two hole,” Acevedo said. “And then they moved me down towards the bottom. I got down on myself a lot last year.”

The coaching staff tried to enforce a positive outlook in Acevedo despite his offensive struggles. 

“I think the frustrating part came from him at the plate a little bit last year,” McIntosh said. “But like I said, he never let it take away from his team effort. He never let it take away from his defensive effort. And without him we wouldn’t have won what we did last year.”

Last season, West Forsyth won the Central Piedmont 4-A tournament, played in the NCHSAA Class 4-A playoffs, defeating conference-rival Reagan 3-0 in the third round. However, the season ended just one night later in Asheville, losing 8-5 to eventual state champion Roberson.

“I am disappointed with how we finished just because we had a lot of errors,” Acevedo said. “I mean, if you take away the errors (including a throwing error by himself) we win that ballgame.”

Before his senior season even started Acevedo, who said he’s always kept a chip on his shoulder, elected to end the college-recruiting process, signing with N.C. A&T in Greensboro.

“I wanted to stay close to home,” he said. “And at the same time, I wanted it to be a good ball team that I would commit to. And honestly, the coaches made me feel really welcome there.”

With plenty of the season left with the Titans, McIntosh thinks the Aggies have a good player coming.

“I think that meant everything to him (to sign early),” McIntosh said. “I think as any future college athlete, once they get that off their chest it’s a huge weight. Now, they can go out and play. They’re not trying to have a tryout every time they’re in the field.”

This season is in its early stages. West Forsyth, as of Monday night, is 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference with both wins coming against Davie County two weeks ago.

West Forsyth is flying high after traveling outside of Myrtle Beach, S.C. last week for spring break and winning two games against St. James and Waccamaw.

“I think going forward, and I know this year’s spring break is a lot earlier than in the past, but it’s kind of been after we’ve gotten back from spring break, after we’ve gotten back from the beach, we kind of propelled forward, jump-started, whatever term you want to use there,” McIntosh said. “And, we take the momentum now and let’s focus on what’s left of the season.”

This week, West Forsyth has two conference games scheduled against Reynolds, as well as a nonconference game Thursday night at Cornelius Hough.

“I feel really good just because of what we’ve done for the past games,” Acevedo said. “I feel like we’re really picking it up. We’re starting to hit. I think every team in the conference is beatable for us.”

The regular season is scheduled to conclude April 24 at home against East Forsyth. After that, it’s the conference tournament and the state tournament.   But about two months from now, the season will be over, concluding Acevedo’s career as a Titan.

“Every single year that it’s ended, even my freshman year, I’ve bawled out crying,” he said. “So, win or lose, I haven’t imagined that yet. I think it’s kind of one of those things that whenever it comes it’ll just happen.”