From little league to varsity, from hitting a ball on a t-stand to swinging at a ball coming at 70 mph, junior and senior varsity baseball players are very committed to the sport they love. “If hitting off of a t-stand counts, I have been playing ever since I was three years old,” junior Josh Johnson said.
Senior Co-captain Spencer Egly has been playing baseball for as long as he can remember. “I think it’s been 16 or 17 years. I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t playing,” Egly said. After four years of playing on varsity, Egly’s favorite aspects of the game are the intense competition and the feeling of the team.
Johnson has been playing on varsity since ninth grade. “Little league was a great place to start, and since then I have grown a lot physically, and also mentally,” Johnson said. Johnson plays the positions of pitcher, first base and outfield on the varsity team. Johnson has many complex goals for this season, but his main one is simple:” I want to strike out as many batters as possible.”
The season began March 18 with Spring Training with the regular season — as yet to start — continues until May 20. The playoffs, section championship games and state tournament follow, giving the team a potention to play just into the summer. This 2013 Spartan team consists of six juniors and 10 seniors, with Spencer Egly and Matt Fiedler as co-captains and Assistant Athletic Director Mike Brown as the coach. With a successful season in 2012, the varsity baseball team finished with a record of 14-6, and took second place in the Tri Metro conference.
The team has high hopes for the season, and to get there, they have set the goals to respect everyone and fear no one, compete hard in every game, never give up, and to bond as brothers. The team is facing a hard time because of the spring weather conditions. With snow on the diamond, it has been difficult to practice and impossible to keep the game schedule.
The first game was scheduled for April 12 against Highland Park High School at SPA, but it was snowed out. All of their games to date have also been cancelled or postponed because of the wintry conditions. When the Boys Varsity Baseball team can finally take the field, they will play from five to seven games per week. Still, none of this diminishes the love of the game for these dedicated players.
