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WAITING IN ANTICIPATION. Captain John Christakos waits for the Liberty pitcher to throw. “I’ve been playing [baseball] basically my whole life,” Christakos said.

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After a strong last season, Spartan Baseball is ready to come back. Though the team ended 11-12, they lost the last six games of the playoffs, keeping them from winning their conference.

“We had a bit of a low at the end, but I think we’re gonna come back swinging,” captain Tommy Verhey said.

The captains are also focused on making sure their younger teammates enjoy their full time on the team.

“This year, we just want to have a young team. […] more than half of our team is probably freshmen and eighth graders and sophomores. So we want to see those guys both mature and improve,” captain John Christakos said. “And I’d like to see the team sort of meld together and form a bond.”

The team made their first play at their State goal on Apr. 15. However, a rocky start for the Spartans led to a tight and exciting game against Liberty Classical which ended in a narrow victory for the Lions.

It was a grey and rainy day, but the player’s excitement was still palpable. The game started right on time, with freshman Shea Miller pitching and captain Griffin Schwab-Mahoney catching. Despite the combined effort of the above pair and the rest of the Spartan’s defense team, Liberty quickly accumulated four points within the first two innings, SPA receiving none.

However, the Spartan’s luck changed in the third inning, when the defensive players kept Liberty from getting any players around to home base. This pattern continued, with SPA getting a run from freshman, and courtesy runner for Schwab-Mahoney, Ali Manzoor in the bottom of the third. Freshman Ben Sieben and Schwab-Mahoney both gave their team a run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

This was the same inning in which a rare and exciting play came from senior Nelson Wodarz. As of 2022, only 30 MLB players have accomplished this move— a stolen home base. As Liberty sophomore and pitcher Taylon Demer wound up to throw, Wodarz made the move towards home, pausing on the final base with his arms out, waiting for verification from the umpire. The Spartans were quiet as they waited for the verdict, all watching the senior intently. That’s when the umpire called it safe, and a roar came from the SPA dugout. The team crowded around Wodarz, who had just tied the game at 4-4, and celebrated with hugs and yells of excitement.

But even after that wonderful moment, the game still went on. SPA had a pitching switch to sophmore Liam Huddleston, who pitched the rest of the game. It seemed as if the game was on track to be a tie game, when Liberty got a run in the top of the seventh and final inning. SPA wasn’t able to tie it up or beat that score in the end, and the game ended with Liberty squeezing out a tight win.

“Close game, we were down four—nothing,” coach Rob Thompson said. “And our team battled back and tied the game and we lost in the last inning.” He did note that the conditions did not effect the way the team played at all, though.

The next game is Apr. 29 at 12 p.m. vs. Providence Academy, at home