The crowd went wild when he struck out the batter, forcing the third out of the inning. His heart swelled with pride as his teammates patted him on the back and his coach flashed a thumbs-up.

Throughout his childhood and high school, Ethan Simantel experienced the highs of playing baseball, and four years ago, he received a scholarship to play for Faulkner State Community College. Playing baseball at the collegiate level would be a dream come true.

But Simantel had another dream that could take him to new heights literally.

Simantel’s childhood dream was to become a pilot in the Air Force. Years of attending air shows, participating in a civilian aviation cadet program and watching his father work on Delta airplanes in Atlanta instilled in him a passion for planes and flying at a young age. But as he grew older, he thought becoming a pilot would be nearly impossible.

Baseball became Simantel’s top priority during his years at Gulf Shores High School.

“When I was a kid, I thought it wouldn’t happen,” Simantel said. “I was like, ‘This is a long shot; it’s not gonna happen.’”

Shortly after being offered a full scholarship at Faulkner to play baseball, the 18-year-old interviewed with the Air Force ROTC program at the University of South Alabama and was offered another full scholarship— and this one could put him in the air.

His two passions collided, and he had to make a choice: playing baseball at the collegiate level or pursuing the long, hard road to becoming a career pilot in the United States Air Force.

“That’s probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, between baseball and Air Force,” he said. 

After deliberation and prayer, he decided to try to learn how to fly, putting aside years of baseball practices, games and equipment to pursue a goal that required many difficult steps.

Accepting the ROTC scholarship was just the first step. Simantel would have to earn a competitive GPA in his program of study, be accepted to and survive a four-week field training in Montgomery, pass a battery of physical and intellectual testing and finally—be accepted into flight school.

He surpassed every goal he set for himself.

Simantel graduated from the University of South Alabama May 12 with a 3.3 GPA. He was named distinguished graduate in both his ROTC program and the field training in Montgomery, and he earned one of the coveted 1,400 spots at the Air Force’s elite flight school, which he will begin in January in Columbus, Miss.

Simantel will enter the Air Force as a second lieutenant at the age of 22, bypassing officer training school because of his ROTC training.

Simantel credits his family, faith and community for his success so far.

“We were raised in a good town and raised by good parents,” Simantel said. “We went on a lot of vacations and road trips, and we really bonded. We’re really close as a family. It all fits. They definitely did a good job raising us—I hope I can do the same with kids.”

Although Simantel has only lived in Gulf Shores since he was 16, he said it is his home and feels blessed to live there. People are extremely supportive and thankful for his service, he said.

“Just going into Walmart or a gas station, I get a ton of thank yous,” he said. “I’ve received tons of support from high school teachers and coaches and from my church (Gulf Shores United Methodist). All of our neighbors are extremely supportive.”

Making his family and community proud is important, Simantel said, but ultimately, he chose to join the Air Force because he wants to serve his country while doing what he loves.

“A lot of people go in for their four years and get out, but this is something I want to do for a long time,“ he said.

Simantel plans to serve in the military for at least 20 years. He hopes to reach the rank of lieutenant colonel or colonel. After his service, he’ll have his pick of commercial flying jobs.

“It’s gonna be hard, but it’s also going to be rewarding,” Simantel said. “As long as I’m flying, I think I’ll be happy.”