Runs, RBIs, hits or ERA are some common stats in baseball. But for one member of the Green Hope baseball team, the stats are completely different. Roshan Shoukat (‘25) measures his success in views, follows and viewer interaction. Taking on the challenge of creating a social media account for the baseball team, Shoukat gained much more attention than anyone could have predicted.
Shoukat, now a senior at Green Hope, made a decision to start a social media account in his sophomore year. He discussed this process with the GH Falcon and stated, “It was more of an ‘in-the-moment’ decision. I was in my AP Gov class when Mr. Miragliuolo was talking about starting tryouts for baseball. I wanted to try out, and then I remembered I was not athletic at all.”
Even though he didn’t think he could make the team, Shoukat still wanted to be involved. “I thought about what I could do, and that was social media. Once I got the idea, I was pretty scared because I’d never heard of someone at Green Hope starting a social media account for a team that hasn’t had one in a while. I was incredibly nervous as I walked up to Mr. Miragliuolo, but luckily he said yes, which led to the best decision I ever made in high school.” While only at the beginning of his road after obtaining permission, he still had a long but successful journey ahead of him.
Shoukat discussed the success of his Instagram page in the most recent season, where he cited analytics from his page and stated, “This season turned out to be better than I could’ve ever imagined. Just this previous season, I reached over 5,221 individual accounts and got around 190,000 views, with 84% of them being from my stories, where I post every play that happens on the field.” Showcasing his massive reach, Shoukat’s account has clearly benefited the baseball team.
Obviously, Shoukat has been very successful in his social media campaign, but it took him a ton of time and effort to get to this point. Discussing the start of his process, Shoukat explained how, “My sophomore year, I would just make gameday posts and take a picture of the team after we won. I spent most of my time doing the playbook.” Starting simple, Shoukat did the same as many other team Instagram accounts.
Going into his junior year, however, he started to fine-tune his process: “Coach Reitz – the head coach my junior year – saw the impact social media could have and wanted me to focus on nothing but Instagram. I would say this is the year I experimented. I tried recording behind-the-scenes moments, plays that we made and dinners after the game. I learned a lot about what worked and what didn’t and really learned who my audience was. Then, in my senior year, I perfected my routine and my recording techniques. I focused on what the players and their families wanted to see, since they were the majority of my viewership.” Finding a successful process and furthering his skill allowed Shoukat to have such a successful season.
While he wasn’t technically on the baseball team, it is clear that every other member entirely considered him to be so, which he stated as “the one thing I never expected to happen.” Shoukat discussed how at first, he expected that he wouldn’t really interact with the rest of the team. “The first day I walked on the field, I was an outsider, fully prepared to not talk to anyone beyond basic greetings and acknowledgements. I knew nothing about baseball and was 100 miles outside of my comfort zone.” Not really knowing anyone or even what he was doing, the first step was indeed the hardest for Shoukat.
Luckily for Shoukat and thanks to the members of the team, he quickly felt accepted and a part of the community. He discussed how, “I’m thankful for people like Mason Dean (‘25), who during my first game told me that if I was ever hungry, I could grab snacks from his bag. Players like Blake Vestal (‘26) and Dylan Johnson (‘26) were always excited to see me in the dugout.” As time went on, these relationships only deepened: “The team started inviting me out after the games and to team dinners, where I got close with a lot of the players. I also really appreciate Coach Reitz, who honored me during senior night and always treated me just like the other players.” Getting closer and closer with the team as time went on, Shoukat discussed how he always felt like he was a part of the team himself.
With many moments to choose from, Shoukat cited his favorite part of being the social media manager as the impact he made on other people, and elaborated with, “You have no idea how cool it is to have a parent come up to me and tell me that it’s because of the team’s Instagram stories that they’re able to watch their son play while they’re at work, or to have a play tell me the videos I took helped them get recruited by colleges.” Doing good for the team, the individual players, the parents and so many more people, Shoukat recognized his reach and influence and all of the good that comes from it.
Leaving a final word, Shoukat dropped a common baseball expression and then imparted his own wisdom: “See the ball, hit the ball. You never know where an idea might lead you, and acting on it just might be the best decision of your life.”
