August Backman named ABC7 Athlete of the Month for March

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - This week we present to you our ABC7 Athlete of the Month for March. The honor goes to Venice High School’s (VHS) August Backman.

The 11th grader is a standout on the baseball field, and classroom for the Venice Indians. They are currently the No. 1 ranked team in Florida and the No. 3 ranked team in the nation.

Backman says that this won’t mean much if they don’t finish the business of bringing home the gold this season.

“It’s been good,” Backman said. “We’ve really been connecting a team. We’ve kind of bonded as one. Break that barrier. We’ve fallen short two years in a row unfortunately, but this year is our year.”

Backman is the Indians lead off hitter and currently leads the team with a .500 batting average. He also has made his collegiate commitment to the University of Florida.

“We’ve all grown,” Backman said. “I’ve grown as a leader, and as a player. I’m really lucky to be apart of everything. It’s been great this year.”

For putting in the work to be great in athletics and academics we have a surprise for Backman.

ABC7 partnering with Carl Reynolds Law to gift him with a check in the amount of $500 for all of his efforts.

His coach, Craig Faulkner, tells ABC7 that Backman is just scratching the surface of all of the greats things that he’s going to do throughout his life.

“August Backman is as good as they get,” Faulkner said. “He’s a pleasure to coach. He’s off the charts smart. He’s a great teammate. He does everything that you can ask.”

For now, Backman says his focus remains on right now and finishing the school year strong in the books and on the field. “We’re ready and we’re going to break that barrier of regional finals.”